It required not only Saul s obedience to God s revelation but also fellow Believers obedience to accept and encourage Saul (Ananias and Barnabas).

Transcription

1 Explore the Bible Lesson Preview June 29, 2008 "Paul: Total Commitment" Background: Acts 9:1-31 Motivation: Saul of Taurus was radically converted on the road to Damascus. His experience began a lifelong transformation into a fully devoted follower of Christ. It required not only Saul s obedience to God s revelation but also fellow Believers obedience to accept and encourage Saul (Ananias and Barnabas). We can learn by the example of all three men. Examination: I. Needing a New Commitment (1-9) A. His Spiritual Condition "Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord." (1) 1. Anti-life "Saul was consenting to his death" (8:1) Saul's complicity in Stephen's martyrdom was in contrast to the Believers who " made great lamentation over him." (8:2) 2. Anti-Christ "he made havoc of the church, entering every house and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison." (8:3) Christ reminded Saul that in persecuting Christians, Saul was persecuting Him. (9:5) 3. Anti-peace "went to the High Priest and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus." (9:2) A bumper sticker reads "Know Christ, Know Peace, No Christ, No Peace." Saul's frantic campaign of terror revealed his inner condition of darkness and turmoil. Explore the Bible Commentary (Fall, 2000), p. 71 explains the " letters :" The high priest in Jerusalem was head of the Sanhedrin. 1 / 8

2 In that position, he functioned as head of the Jewish state in internal matters. With authority granted by the Roman government, the high priest could issue decrees that were binding on the Jewish community both in the Holy Land and beyond. Paul traveled to Damascus with the authority to arrest Jewish believers who had sought refuge in Syria." B. His Spiritual Conviction "It is hard for you to kick against the goads" (5) Belie ver's Study Bible p. 1557: " 9:5 Saul is pictured as an unwilling animal, such as an ox or donkey. The beast kicks vigorously at the driving goad, which may have been an extremely sharp piece of metal in the end of a staff. The picture suggests that this hard-crusted and zealous young man had been struggling for some time with his conscience. In the deepest recesses of his heart, he perhaps remembered the voice of the first martyr, Stephen, as he died: Lord, do not charge them with this sin' (7:60)." C. His Spiritual Conversion 1. "a light shone around him from heaven" (3) No matter how much of God's enemy we try to be, He seeks us out in love! (Rom. 5:8) 2. "he fell to the ground" (4) Saul was proud of his own righteousness (Phil. 3:4-6; II Cor. 11:22). However, when measured against Jesus, Paul realized he was utterly lost. (Rom. 3:23; Heb. 4:15) 3. "Who are You Lord?" (5) Saul had to understand the truth of the very gospel he was fighting so hard to extinguish. The undeniable fact that won Saul over was the truth of the resurrection. (I Cor. 15:1-19). 4. "Lord, what do you want me to do?" (6) God broke into Saul's life in a spectacular way in order to call a spectacular servant. In a moment he went from being a hateful enemy to being a willing servant. (Gal. 1:12-23; Acts 2 / 8

3 22:1-11, 26:4-18) Believer's Study Bible, p. 1557: 9:7 "Those traveling with Saul heard a sound and looked around expecting to see the one who spoke. Only Saul heard the voice with understanding; the message was for him. Some suggest that voice' here refers to what ancient Hebrew writers define as the bath qol (Heb.) or echo.' This heavenly echo' is hardly adequate to explain what took place. Luke's words make it clear that others heard the sound but did not understand the words or message (22:9). Verse 7 states that Saul's companions heard the voice ( akouontes Gk., with the genitive case), whereas 22:9 says they did not hear the voice' ( ekousan Gk., with the accusative case). Both constructions say the same thing: The companions of Saul did not understand what the voice said to Saul. They heard the sound of the voice but did not understand the message of the words. They were spectators of this experience and not participants (9:4a; 22:9; 26:16)." (Matt. 12:30) II. Making A Genuine Commitment (10-19) A. Mentor "Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias&quot ; (10) II Tim. 2:2 implies that each Christian should have one or more mentors while he/she is mentoring others. Ananias is a good role model for the kind of mentor who's effective: available, accessible (to the Holy Spirit) and in agreement with the Lord's commands. 3 / 8

4 A mentor is not one who just passes on truth; Paul insists in Galatians 1:1-2 that the truths he learned come from direct revelation. Ananias' role was more reacher than teacher; he reached out to Saul in love when others were terrified of him. B. Message 1. To Ananias "the Lord said in a vision... " (10) "Arise and go..." (11) A symmetry can be seen between this account and the experience of Peter and Cornelius. Ananias' obedience is more clearly defined in the light of his fear (13-14). A divine appointment requires a disciple who is ready to obey. 2. To Saul - "And in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias..." (12) Alt hough Saul was accepted of the risen Christ and surrendered to His will, he was still blind. God's vision must have been a great comfort to him! C. Mission "he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. For I will show him how may things he must suffer for My name's sake." (15-16) (Mark 10:28-30) Paul's call was a steady beacon that continually compelled him to endure all kinds of hardships to accomplish his mission. (II Cor. 11:23-28). The fact that God told him in advance of the price he would have to pay deepens one's respect for Saul's acceptance of his mission. D. Mandate "You must receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit&quot ; (17) It's instructive to us that God depended on Ananias to deliver the message to Saul. Given the importance, why didn't God handle it all Himself on the road to Damascus. God uses ordinary people everyday to convey extraordinary truth. Probably for the same reason that He says 4 / 8

5 "You are my witnesses." (1:8) (I Thes. 5:3-9; 2 Cor. 4:3-6; Eph. 5:8-14; Col. 1:13) E. Maturity "he was strengthened" (19) Paul's physical strength mirrors the spiritual transformation he was undergoing. He was going from darkness into the light spiritually as well as physically. He still had three years to spend in the desert (Gal. 1:17-18), but the path to being a "fully devoted follower of Christ" was laid out before him. III. Expressing Total Commitment (9:20-31) A. Saul's Training "Then Saul spent some days with the disciples at Damascus " (17b) Explore the Bible Commentary (F all, 2000), p. 73: "What is described here as the passing of many days, Paul described in Galatians 1:18 as the passing of three years. Within those many days was the period Paul spent in Arabia, after which he returned to Damascus (Gal. 1:17). An almost three-year ministry in Damascus helps explain how Paul could have followers or disciples who could help him escape the city (Acts 9:25). A comparison of Acts with Galatians reveals a likely sequence of events in Paul's early Christian years: (1) his conversion and commission (Acts 9:1-19a) (2) a time of preaching in the synagogues of Damascus (9:19b-22), (3) an indefinite stay in Arabia (Gal. 1:17), (4) his return to Damascus for additional ministry that incurred strong opposition (Acts 9:23-25), and (5) his departure to Jerusalem three years after his conversion." B. Saul's Testimony "He is the Son of God..." (20) "Jesus is the Christ " (22) Be liever's Study Bible; p. 1666: 5 / 8

6 1:12 " Paul insists that his gospel was not taught to him by the apostles or any other human being. Prior to his conversion Paul had received the best theological education available in his day. However, the gospel came to him directly from God (Acts 9:1-22). Subsequent to his conversion and baptism, Paul departed to Arabia (v. 17). It was probably during this time that a Christological understanding of the O.T., as well as the meaning of what had happened to him when he was confronted by Jesus on the Damascus Road, was revealed to him. God removed the veil from his eyes and revealed certain truths to Paul directly. Since this revelation proceeded directly from God, it was completely trustworthy. At least a portion of these truths which God revealed to Paul has been preserved for the churches in his writings in the Bible. Although the personality of the apostle is certainly seen in his 13 epistles, the message is infallible and inerrant because it is God's Word." In an ironic historical footnote, Saul's former allies become his enemies (23) and his former enemies became his allies (25). C. Reaction of the Christians 1. "They were all afraid of him and did not believe that he was a disciple" (26) Saul's conversion didn't exactly make CNN, so the Jerusalem church was either ignorant of the event in Damascus or felt that Saul was impersonating a Christian in order to infiltrate the church. 2. "But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles (27) Christian love demands that we investigate the facts about our brothers and sisters instead of relying on hearsay. Just as Ananias was used by God in Damascus, so Barnabas answered the call in Jerusalem. The importance of these two men to Saul should remind us of our strategic role in welcoming new church members. 6 / 8

7 D. Reaction of the Church 1. The Gospel Spread "he spoke boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus and disputed against the Hellenists but they attempted to kill him. " (29) Here is a repeat of Saul's experience in Damascus and a foreshadowing of his empire-wide ministry. 2. Persecution Ceased "the churches... had peace and were edified." Perhaps this is an indication of Saul's importance to the persecution movement. 3. Disciples Multiplied "walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied " (31) O.S. Hawkins preached a sermon of the " fear of the Lord " on January 23, He related that it was absolutely necessary to a proper sense of God's holiness and our need for obedience (Ex. 20:20; Prov. 16:6; Prov. 2:1; Ecc. 12:13; Rom. 11:20; Eph. 5:21; Heb. 10:31). Application: 1. Conversion to Christ results in a radical transformation. (2 Cor. 5:17) 2. Conversion to Christ rebuilds a broken life into a useable vessel. (Ps. 32 & 51) 3. Conversion to Christ requires an accepting Body. (John 6:39) Leader Pack Item 8: Handout: "Paul's Mission" Illustrator: p. 31: "Damascus in Paul's Day" Notes: **You may access David's Lesson Preview in MP3 format at: y.org/ ; Dates: March 24 thru September 6- No events in Worship Center; 7/6 - July 4 th weekend, 7 / 8

8 normal schedule; 7/ Houston Project; 7/11 - METRO live and Houston Project; 7/ First Place Annual Leadership Conf.; 8/1 - METRO live; 8/31 - Labor Day Weekend - normal schedule; 9/7 - Promotion Sunday; 9/19 - All Sunday School leader training - 6:30-12:00 pm; 9/21 - Parent Commitment & Reception; 10/5 - Lord's Supper; 10/ Women's Omni Westside; 10/18 - Shaping Your Child's Character; 11/2 - Fall Back (time change Sun.); 11/7 - FBA Veteran's Recognition Service; 11/ Southern Baptists of Texas Convention; 11/16 - Parent Commitment & Reception; 11/30 - Thanksgiving - one service (10 am) plus Ascend, no Bible classes; 12/6 - Preschoolers Christmas Party; 12/6 - MTC Christmas Store; 12/28 - Christmas Break - All three worship services, no Bible classes. 8 / 8