RESURRECTION It changes everything. Sermon Transcript October 25, 2015 A Conversion Story Acts 9:1-31 This message from the Bible was addressed originally to the people of Wethersfield Evangelical Free Church on October 25, 2015, at 511 Maple Street, Wethersfield, CT, 06109 by Dr. Scott W. Solberg. This is a transcription that bears the strength and weaknesses of oral delivery. It is not meant to be a polished essay. An audio copy of the sermon on CD is available by request at (860) 563-8286. An audio version of this sermon may also be found on the church website at www.wethefc.com. 1
Sermon Text Acts 9:1-31 [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. [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. [10] Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, Ananias. And he said, Here I am, Lord. [11] And the Lord said to him, Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, [12] and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight. [13] But Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at 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 instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. [16] For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name. [17] So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, Brother Saul, 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; [19] and taking food, he was strengthened. For some days he was with the disciples at Damascus. 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 2
Introduction confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ. [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. [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. [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. [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. This morning we come to Acts 9 and we encounter a dramatic and strategic story of conversion. It is the conversion story of a man by the name of Saul. We know him better by the name Paul. Saul was his Hebrew name, but being a Roman citizen, he also had a Latin name, and it was Paul. It was rather natural, while he was steeped in Judaism, that he went by his Hebrew name, Saul. His Jewishness comes out in Philippians 3:5 where he writes of what his life was like prior to his conversion. He was circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee. But as you will discover in his conversion story, God says of Saul in verse 15, he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. And so starting in Acts 13:9, as he sets sail on his first missionary trip, this son of a Roman citizen, begins to use his Latin name, Paul. Acts 13:9 says it this way, But Saul, who was also called Paul. In other words, as he turns his attention to reaching the Gentiles with the message of the resurrection of Jesus, he dusts off his Latin name, and from this point on is known to us as Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles. 3
His conversion story is a strategic story because of the role he plays in establishing the early church in the Western world. Next to Jesus, there is no more important human figure in the New Testament. And so quite naturally, we have recorded for us in detail his conversion story. It is such a strategic event in the establishment of the church, that it is retold two other times in the book of Acts. Luke devotes about 8% of the entire book of Acts to just Paul s story of conversion. And of course, once we hit this part of the book of Acts, the attention begins to move away from Peter. Paul now becomes the central human figure that emerges through the rest of the book. In fact, two-thirds of the story of the book of Acts is used to tell Paul s part in the story of the early church. If you know the story of Paul s conversion, you know it is quite a dramatic story. It is a rather unique story, for sure. But before we look at his conversion story, I want to talk about the idea of conversion. What does it mean to be a Christian convert? I want to make sure we are talking about the same thing when we talk about conversion. A Look at Conversion First of all, the word itself means turning. So when you apply it to something like Christianity, it represents a spiritual turning that takes place in your life. It is a turning away from something and turning towards something else. In defining what it means to be a convert to Christ, Wayne Grudem defines it this way: Conversion is our willing response to the gospel call, in which we sincerely repent of sins and place our trust in Christ for salvation. 1 In other words, conversion to Christ is a turning away from sin and turning in faith towards Jesus who can save us from our sin. This turning away from sin and turning in faith to Jesus involves several kinds of turnings. First of all, there needs to be a turning of the mind, a turning of understanding. There are certain truths that need to be understood. For example, if you start out as an atheist, part of your conversion process is that you come to understand that there is actually a God who made all things. Or if you look at the claims of Christianity, you quickly discover that everything Christians believe hinges on the empty tomb. So the critical question become, Did Jesus really rise from the dead? Consequently, if you begin to look at these things and come to an understanding that the best explanation of the empty tomb is that this Jesus rose from the dead, then a whole bunch of other things start falling into place. And so part of conversion is that there is a turning in your understanding. You begin to understand that man is sinful and how Jesus makes a way for us to come to God through his death on the cross. There is a turning in your understanding that begins to take place in your life. 4
I think of a Frenchman by the name of Guillaume Bignon. He was an atheist and he set out to disprove Christianity. He decided to go to a church to learn more about what Christians believe. Meeting with the pastor after his first visit he asked the pastor, So you believe in God? Smiling back at Guillaume, the pastor said, yes. And so he asked the pastor, How does that work out? This led to several weeks of asking questions and the pastor patiently answering them. Guillaume then confessed, I nervously started to consider that all of it could be true. 2 In other words, he was beginning to have a turning point in his understanding. Now please keep in mind that this turning of understanding alone does not equal conversion. There is the famous verse in James 2:19 that reminds us that demons believe and they even shudder. Paul says of this unbelieving world, Though they know God s decree that those who do such things deserve to die, they not only do them, but approve those who practice them. I think the danger in the church is that there could some who have had a turning of understanding, but are yet to really be converted to Christ. That is the danger with the world belief. Yes, there is a belief we must embrace. But conversion is more than just coming to an understanding of God s truth. No doubt, a turning in understanding is part of conversion, but it is not the total package. There is more turning that needs to take place in order to convert to Christ. Conversion also involves a turning in agreement or approval. So you are not just understanding the basic teachings of the Christian faith, but you are in agreement with them. You readily acknowledge that there is a holy God who you are accountable to and that life is meant to be lived in relationship with God. You agree with what the Bible says about your heart, that you are sinful and prone to reject God and that you fail to love God and others as you should. You agree that because of your sin against God you deserve eternal judgment. You agree that Jesus, the Son of God, became like us and took our punishment for sin and through faith in Jesus who died on the cross and rose from the dead we can be forgiven and have a relationship with the living God. There is a turning that takes place in your life where you don t just understand these things, but you affirm them to be true and you approve of them. When Guillaume got to the point where he began to understand that there was good reason to believe that God did exist, he asked God to just open the skies and make himself known. Instead, God did something else. Guillaume said that God did something much more brutal. He said, God reactivated my conscience. 3 He had done something, that even according to his atheistic standards was quite sinister, but up to this point he was able to suppress it. But now that he was seeking God, the Spirit of God 5
was at work and he became very much aware of his guilt to the point where he felt intense shame and he was crippled with chest pain and deep loathing and disgust for what he had done. Do you know that what was happening? He was reaching a turning point. He was beginning to affirm his guilt and his sin and the offense it was to God. But do you know that you can affirm these things to be true and still not experience conversion to Christ? Paul says in 2 Corinthians 7:10 that you can have a worldly grief that does not truly lead you to repentance. You can agree that you are sinful and you can even feel sorrow over it. You can agree that Jesus is the Son of God and you can agree that Jesus died on the cross for sins and rose from the dead; and still not be converted to Christ. There is one more turning that needs to take place in your life in order for you to be truly converted to saving faith in Christ. You must actually put your complete trust in Jesus Christ, as a living person for the forgiveness of your sins. All throughout the book of Acts, when the resurrected Jesus is preached the call upon those who hear the message is to repent. What does that mean? Grudem defines it this way, It is a heartfelt sorrow for sin, a renouncing of it, and a sincere commitment to forsake it and walk in obedience to Jesus Christ. 4 Therefore, true conversion is turning away from your sin and turning in faith to Jesus who died on the cross and rose again for the forgiveness of our sins. Lying in his apartment in Paris, consumed with the guilt of what he had done and the pain he was experiencing for it, Guillaume said that all of a sudden it clicked for him. It dawned on him, That is why Jesus had to die for me. He who knew no sin became sin on my behalf, so that in him, I might become the righteousness of God. He finally realized that Jesus took upon himself the penalty that Guillaume deserved, so that in Gods justice, his sins would be forgiven by grace as a gift, rather than by his righteous deeds or religious rituals. He died so that we may live. Guillaume said, I placed my trust in Jesus, and asked him to forgive me in the way Scripture promised he would. 5 He turned in his understanding. He turned in his affirming of these things as true. But then, he finally turned away from his sin and put his trust in Jesus to forgive him of his sin. That is conversion! That is the picture of baptism. Having been united to Christ in his death, burial and resurrection through faith, we recognize that when we come to faith we have been raised to a new life. When you see a baptismal candidate come out of the water, it pictures how in Christ we have been raised to a new way of life. Paul begins Romans 6 with that famous question, and I paraphrase; If we are saved by grace does that mean we can live 6
any way we want? By no means is that true, Paul says. If you have been converted to Christ and have repented of your sin, you have turned away from sin and you are now living a new life unto God. Philip Schaff wrote what is considered the standard eight volume set of the history of Christianity. He starts with the Apostles and takes us all the way through the Reformation. He gives great insight into the practice and belief of Christianity just a few centuries removed from Jesus Christ. In his second volume, he writes about how baptism was observed by the early church. He writes, Before the act [of baptism] the candidate was required in a solemn vow to renounce the service of the devil, that is, all evil, give himself to Christ, and confess the sum of the apostolic faith in God the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit. 6 In the fourth century, as we learn from Cyril of Jerusalem, this renunciation of the devil was made in the vestibule of the baptistery, with the face towards the west, and the hand raised in the repelling posture, as if Satan were present. 7 By this gesture, the candidate is saying that he or she will no longer live their life apart from the rule of God. Schaff goes on to write, This act of turning from sin and turning to God, or of repentance and faith, on the part of the candidate, was followed by an appropriate prayer of the minister, and then by the baptism. 8 Then the creed was repeated by the candidate as he faced the east, towards the light. 9 Do you know what they were doing at their baptism? They were giving a visual demonstration to the turning away from sin and turning to faith in Christ. That is the picture of conversion. I read an article recently that asked the question, What makes youth stay in the church once they graduate from high school? Do you know what the first answer was? It was conversion! Jon Nielson writes, When we listen to the witness of Scripture, particularly on the topic of conversion, we find that there is very little wiggle room. Listen to these words: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come He writes, we youth pastors need to get back to understanding salvation as what it really is: a miracle that comes from the glorious power of God through the working of the Holy Spirit. We need to stop talking about good kids. We re not praying for good kids, but converted kids. We need to stop being pleased with attendance at youth group and fun retreats. We need to start getting on our knees and praying that the Holy Spirit will do miraculous saving work in the hearts of our students as the Word of God speaks to them. In short, we need to get back to a focus on conversion... Youth pastors, we need to preach, teach, and talk all the while praying fervently for the miraculous work of regeneration to occur in the hearts and souls of our students by the power of the Holy Spirit! When 7
that happens when the old goes and the new comes it will not be iffy. We will be ready to teach, disciple, and equip a generation of future church leaders new creations! who are hungry to know and speak God's Word. It is converted students who go on to love Jesus and serve the church. 10 By the way, his third point was that parents need to be speaking this message as well. And I would add, this is not just an issue for youth ministry. This is an issue for all of church ministry. We pray for the genuine conversion of faith, the turning away from sin and the turning to faith in Jesus Christ. Our prayer is not that we are a group of nice people. Rather, by God s grace, we pray that we would be a converted people, turning away from sin and placing our trust in the merits of Christ alone. This pattern of repentance from sin and turning in faith to Jesus is something we are to express and pray every single day. This is the testimony of those who are being baptized this morning. Saul s Conversion Story This brings me to the dramatic conversion story of Saul. I am not going to preach my way through this story this morning. Instead, I am going to read it and make just a few observations along the way. Clearly, as you read through this story you will notice that this was a turning point for Saul. It was a turning point in what he understood about Jesus. It was a turning point in what he affirmed about himself and God. And it was a turning point in how he would approach the rest of his life. Clearly, he turned away from sin and turned in faith to Jesus. This is his story of conversion. In the first two verses we read of what we know about Saul prior to his conversion. But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 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. There was much about himself and Jesus that Saul did not yet understand. We know from Philippians 3 that Saul was a very religious man, but his confidence was in himself and he worked hard at being a good religious man. By working hard at being zealous for his faith, he thought that he could gain a good standing before God. He didn t understand that he needed a righteousness that was from outside of him. He didn t understand that Jesus did for him what he couldn t do for himself. He didn t understand that the risen Jesus alone could rescue him from his sin. And so with religious fervor, he sought to silence the Christians and their testimony that this Jesus has risen from the dead. 8
And so we read in verse 3, Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. And falling to the ground he heard a voice saying to him, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? And he said, Who are you, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do. The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. 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. And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank. Saul didn t just hear the testimony of the resurrected Christ, instead he saw a light and heard the risen Jesus speak to him. This was his turning point. He turned in his understanding. He turned in his approval of Jesus. Through his baptism, he gave testimony that he has turned from his sin and has turned in faith to Jesus. The details of your story may be different, but if you have repented of your sin and turned in faith to Jesus, this is what God has done in your life as well. Titus 3:4-6 says, But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and the renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior. Our conversion is the work of God. I like the way Guillaume describes his Damascus Road experience at the end of his testimony. He writes, This, in short, is how God takes a French atheist and makes a Christian theologian out of him. I was not looking for God; I neither sought him or wanted him. He reached out, loved me while I was still a sinner, broke my defenses and decided to pour out his undeserved grace that his Son might be glorified, and that I might be saved from my sin by grace through faith, and not by works. It is the gift of God, so that no one may boast. 11 The details of conversion may be different, but in each case our conversion story is the work of God in our lives. To God be the glory! Picking up in verse 10, Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, Ananias. And he said, Here I am, Lord. And the Lord said to him, Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight. But Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem. And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name. But the Lord said to him, Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name. So Ananias departed and entered 9
the house. And laying his hands on him he said, Brother Saul, 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. And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized; and taking food, he was strengthened. For some days he was with the disciples at Damascus. And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, He is the Son of God. 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? But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ. When many days had passed, the Jews plotted to kill him, but their plot became known to Saul. They were watching the gates day and night in order to kill him, but his disciples took him by night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a basket. 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. 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. So he went in and out among them at Jerusalem, preaching boldly in the name of the Lord. And he spoke and disputed against the Hellenists. But they were seeking to kill him. And when the brothers learned this, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus. Then I love the conclusion in verse 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. And it continues to multiply today through the continued proclamation of the risen Christ. Stories are still being written and there are stories that God wants to write in us and through us here at WEFC. What is your story? Have you turned from sin and turned in faith to Jesus? That is what it means to convert to faith in Jesus Christ. Yes it involves a turning in understanding, namely that your are a sinner and that through Jesus Christ and his work on the cross you can find forgiveness. Yes it involves a turning in agreement that this is indeed true. But it is when you actually repent of your sin by expressing sorrow for your sin and renouncing it and then place your faith and trust in Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins that one is truly converted to Christ. This is the call of the gospel on your life 10
and this is the willing response you must make in order to come to faith in Christ. Then, like Paul, God can use your life to bring the blessed hope of Jesus to others. May our concluding thought mirror verse 31, So the church throughout all [Wethersfield, the Greater Hartford region and New England] 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. 1 Wayne Grudem Systematic Theology (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994) 709 2 Guillaume Bignon My Own French Revolution in Christianity Today November, 2014 3 Ibid 4 Grudem, 713 5 Bignon 6 Philip Schaff, History of the Christian Church, Vol. 2 (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1910), 248 7 Ibid., footnote 1, 248 8 Ibid., 248 9 Ibid., footnote 2, 248 10 John Nielson Why Youth Stay in the Church When The Grow Up July 29, 2011 http://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/why-youth-stay-in-church-when-they-grow-up 11 Bignon by Dr. Scott Solberg - All rights reserved 11
Sermon Title: A Conversion Story Sermon Text: Acts 9:1-31 Sermon Date: October 25, 2015 Getting To Know Me Questions 1. In what sports, clubs or activities were you most involved in during high school? 2. How often do most people you know think about spiritual issues? Explain your answer. 3. Thinking back on Sunday s service, what did you find to be encouraging and what did you find to be challenging? Diving Into The Word 4. Read Acts 2:37-38; 3:19; 5:31; 17:30; Rom. 2:4; 2 Cor. 7:10 From these verses, what is the common and appropriate response to the gospel? Discuss what it means to repent of your sin? React to this quote: If there is no mention of the need for repentance sometimes the gospel message becomes only, Believe in Jesus Christ and be saved without any mention of repentance at all. But this watered-down version of the gospel does not ask for a wholehearted commitment to Christ commitment to Christ, if genuine, must include a commitment to turn from sin. How do you think the word repentance lead to a stronger commitment to Jesus? How does this impact how you share the gospel? 5. Read Acts 9:1-9 - Discuss how God was clearly at work in Saul s life through his conversion story. Looking back on your conversion story, can you point to how you also saw the clear hand of God at work in your life? 6. Read Acts 9:10-30 - Discuss what you observe about the dramatic change that took place in Saul s life after his conversion. 7. Read Acts 9:31 Discuss how this verse offers us encouragement and comfort. Taking It Home 8. Discuss how repentance and faith can remain a continuing part of your Christian life. Discuss why it is a vital part of your ongoing faith in Christ. How can you grow in this area this coming week? 9. Spend time giving thanks for your own Damascus Road experience in Christ. 10. Continue to work on memorizing your verse for the week, 1 Peter 1:3-9. 12