The Story of Paul’s Conversion: An Example for Us All Acts 9:1-9

Here are the notes from my lesson for G.A.P. (Graduates and Professionals) at Thomas Road Baptist Church. This lesson was presented on October 2 and
October 9, 2011. I hope it is a blessing to you! Please feel free to leave a comment or contact me if you have any questions.

The Story of Paul’s Conversion:
An Example for Us All
Acts 9:1-9

Introduction

•When you hear the words “Damascus Road Experience,” what typically comes to mind?

•Those of us raised in a church environment no doubt think of the conversion of Saul to become Paul the apostle

•But the phrase is used a lot today to mean a sudden and unexpected shift in someone’s position or values

•That certainly defines the experience in which the angry Saul of Tarsus becomes the missionary apostle Paul

•He changed from murderer to missionary

•He changed from a persecutor to an apostle

•But today I don’t want to focus only on the dramatic and divine change in Paul’s life, I also want to sketch for all of us what conversion looks like

•I want us to work through Paul’s story to see an example for us in our own conversion and for our lives today

•Let’s look at Acts 9:1-9, and note these three aspects of conversion

•The condition

•The confrontation

•The conclusion

•Remember, an encounter with Jesus changes everything

•We could all stand with regular encounters with Jesus

•We need the change that a relationship with him brings

•1. The Condition

•Acts 9:1-2—The first thing to note when talking about conversion is the condition of the person. None of us come to God complete or whole. We all come broken. Some may seem better than others, but none of us is able to avoid the taint of sin. That is the situation in which we find Saul (who will soon become Paul)

•What do you know about the life of Paul? (Philippians 3:2-6)

•Paul was an accomplished man/He had reason for a fleshly confidence

•He was circumcised on the eighth day

•He was a good Jew (a Hebrew of the Hebrews) from the prestigious tribe of Benjamin

•He was a Pharisee, zealous for the Law

•He was blameless according to the righteousness from the Law

•He was a very religious man

•No one could touch him in the area of religion

•Yet in spite of his religious beliefs, he was full of anger

•Paul breathed threats and murder against the early Christians

•He was a very angry young man, mad at the “heresy” of Christianity that had sprung up among his fellow Jews

•He even intended to wipe out this heretical faith and destroy them completely

•He had no use for false doctrine—he had a religious background but was full of hatred—he wanted to murder others—he was a sinner (1 John 3:10-18)

•Paul was the aggressor against the fledgling and newly born church

•He got permission to go and arrest them so that he can put an end to them

•Perhaps he was tired of hearing the story of Jesus, the story of redemption

•Perhaps his heart was heavy as the words of Christ were spoken

•Whatever was going on, Paul hated Christians

•Paul’s hatred turned him into the “terrorist” against Christianity

•Like some Muslims (and other religions too), he believed that those who disagreed with him should convert or die

•Having them die was easier, so he pursued that option

•He wanted to murder those who disagreed with him

•Paul was a sinner who resisted the truth and lived as an “enemy” of God (Romans 5:6-11)

•Like us, Paul stood against Christ. He was lost

•An encounter with Jesus exposes our condition

•Such an encounter can also result in a change of our condition

•The confrontation with Christ causes a change in us

•2. The Confrontation

•Acts 9:3-6—Once the person’s condition is acknowledged, the next aspect of conversion is the confrontation between the sinful person and the risen and exalted Jesus. The confrontation is between one who cannot save himself and the only One who can save. That is what happens to Paul

•Notice that Jesus confronts Paul as he is going about his everyday experience.

•Paul is doing what he would normally do

•Often Jesus confronts us in our mundane or normal surroundings

•We must remember that the revelation of God does not necessarily require special circumstances (like a special worship service, or complete quiet, or special music or technical expertise).

•God is more than able to meet us right where we are

•Jesus confronts Paul miraculously—this seems to be a special case

•Light from heaven—the glorified and risen Jesus reveals some of his glory

•Falls to the ground—in the presence of a heavenly revelation, Paul gets low

•Paul is humbled when Jesus is revealed

•This is a divine encounter!

•Most of us will not get a miraculous Damascus Road experience like Paul’s

•We will not meet Jesus in a visionary experience

•We will encounter him in a more mundane way

•That doesn’t make the encounter any less significant

•We go through some of the same steps nonetheless

•We encounter Jesus in his resurrected glory through the proclamation of his Truth

•We humble ourselves in his presence

•We listen for his direction

•These are the same steps Paul experienced

•Salvation requires revelation and response

•The Questions in this Encounter—notice that Jesus initiates the conversation by asking Paul a question (Questions are often a good way to start a conversation about conversion)

•Jesus confronts Paul with a question—why are you against me?

•Paul responds with a question—Who are you?

•Jesus gives Paul a chance to respond, and Paul wants to know who he is addressing

•There is a confrontation going on here, one that leads to conversion

•Like all of us before we came to Christ, we cannot know God until God makes himself known to us

•When Jesus confronts Paul, he is revealing himself to Paul

•Paul does not argue, he simply acknowledges the superiority of the one addressing him—Paul wants more information

•Jesus gives Paul the answer—I am Jesus—one thing this tells us is that when we do the work of God and receive mistreatment, Jesus suffers with us. That is, people are not attacking us only, they are taking on Jesus!

•Jesus gives Paul the answer—I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting

•Jesus makes himself known to Paul

•The nature of this revelation no doubt convinced Paul that he was in the presence of God

•Jesus then gives Paul a command—”Arise and go into the city, and you will be given more instructions”

•Jesus acknowledges Paul’s willingness to submit by giving Paul something to do

•How Paul responds makes the difference

•What will Paul do?

•Salvation for all of us is similar (without the bright lights probably)

•We are going about our everyday tasks, ignoring or even resisting God and being his enemies

•Then God confronts us with his person and truth, and we are humbled

•We want to know more and perhaps ask some questions, and God responds by calling us to obedience

•So, how do we respond?

•Faithful response to Christ leads to salvation

•An encounter with Jesus poses a challenge

•A confrontation with Jesus forces us to choose

•Will we obey him or not?

•3. The Conclusion

•Acts 9:7-9—The conclusion of our story reveals Paul’s response. In a similar way, our response to God will write the conclusion to our story of conversion. If we humble ourselves and obey God’s call to repent, salvation will come

•Let’s remember though, that not all who were present at the encounter/confrontation get the point or get salvation (verse 7)

•This is true in our lives as well

•When the story of salvation is told, it is not a guarantee that everyone present will be converted

•It is possible to witness God’s divine grace and still miss the truth

•These people heard the voice but did not apparently get the point

•Paul, on the other hand, understands that he has encountered the divine, that he has run into God, and he is dramatically changed

•He is physically blinded, but he nonetheless obeys—he obeys Jesus’ command even though his physical circumstances have made it difficult

•How often do we try to excuse ourselves from obedience due to physical circumstances?

•“I’m not gifted in evangelism” or “I can’t make disciples” or “I’m shy” or even “I don’t hang around non-Christians much”

•Physical circumstances do NOT hinder obedience—only our wills can do that!

•Though physically blinded, he is now spiritually focused—food and drink no longer matter, he wants to know this person Jesus (verse 10 reveals that Paul is praying while fasting)

•Paul obeyed Christ and focused on Christ

•We should follow his example

•Circumstances don’t matter, obedience alone matters

•So, what’s the rest of the story?

•Paul goes on to plant churches all over the Roman Empire

•He writes 13 letters (almost half of our New Testament)

•He becomes an example for all of us (1 Timothy 1:15-16)

•When a person is brought to Christ and becomes a follower of Christ, it is not for that individual’s good alone, it is for salvation for others

•Like Paul, our redemption is for the benefit of others as well

•Can others see the salvation of God in us?

•Do they want what they see?

•What kind of example are we?

•The conclusion to Paul’s story is written, but the story of salvation/redemption continues. What will the conclusion be?

•An encounter with Jesus changes our story

•Application

•We just admitted that the story doesn’t end with an individual’s conversion

•As important as a person’s salvation is, that is only the first part of the story

•So, how do we respond to this information? Seeing that Paul’s conversion story is in a sense an example or model for us all, how do we respond?

•First, check your condition. Are we followers of Christ or are we religious bigots looking to destroy all those who oppose us? What is our condition? Do we rely on our own strength and efforts, or are we confident in God’s plan of salvation? If we do not have a relationship with Jesus, that is the starting point. This week, focus on your relationship with Jesus. Like Paul, be willing to even give up some of the important things in life to pursue a knowledge of Jesus and his righteousness (Philippians 3:7ff)

•Second, humble yourself and obey God. What is it that God has asked of you that you have ignored? We must never allow anything to deflect us from obedience. When we refuse to obey Jesus, we are backing away from the recreating power of his redemption. As Oswald Chambers says, “It is a matter of indifference to God’s grace how abominable I am if I come to the light but woe be to me if I refuse the light.” (John 3:19-21). What was the last thing God told you to do? Leave here today, go and do it. Live in God’s light. Do not wait another minute to do the right thing

•Third, share with others the story of your encounter with God. Take time to let others know what God has done. Make a list of people you would like to see have an encounter with God, then begin to pray for them and seek an opportunity.

•An encounter with Jesus changes everything

•How has it changed you?

Thanks for reading!

True Worship, Pslam 95

Here are the notes from my lesson for G.A.P. (Graduates and Professionals) at Thomas Road Baptist Church. This lesson was presented on September 11 and 18, 2011. I hope it is a blessing to you! Please feel free to leave a comment or contact me if you have any questions.

›True Worship: Psalm 95

›Introduction

›Today’s topic is worship. Remember, a few weeks ago we discussed the issue of “Committed or Complacent?” while looking at the early church in Acts 2:41-47.

›In Acts 2:42, we noted that the early church was continually committed or devoted to three things: the apostles’ teaching, to fellowship, and to worship.

›We have already looked at the need for continual devotion to God’s Word (sound teaching), and the last two weeks we looked at the issue of fellowship.

›Today, our topic is proper worship.

›Let's look at the Word

›Below there are three texts listed. Each one deals in some way with our topic today.

›I want the class to break into three groups and take 5 or 10 minutes to consider one of these passages and answer the following questions:

›What does true worship look like?

›What are the components of true worship?

›Psalm 95

›John 4:19-24

›Acts 17:22-31

›Some background

›Now that we have all discussed several passages on worship, let me point out that this word appears in some form in almost 200 passages of the Bible.

›Apparently the issue of worship is very important to God.

›In some cases, worship results from passion.

›Everyone is passionate about something, right?

›Name some things people about which people are passionate

›When it comes to worship, however, we must realize that passion is not enough. The thing we worship must have weight, it must be worthy, it must be more than a mere emotional attachment.

›To worship means to give worth to something.

›Our passage today calls us to worship.

›Our Passage

›Psalm 95

›We have already discussed this passage in our groups, but let me give you a bit of background before we look at three aspects of worship found here.

›Psalm 95 was used in a particular time of worship in the life of Israel called The Feast of Tabernacles or Booths. It happened in the fall, and people would go outside and live in little huts that they made.

›They would take their meals there for seven days to remember that they wandered in the wilderness for 40 years.

›And they would remember their mistakes that led to the wilderness.

›And they would remember God's grace as well.

›This Psalm then is a reminder to worship God for who he is and what he has done.

›This worship has three aspects

›Joy, Awe, and Obedience

›In each of these remember—Worship is a right response to God

›1. Joy

›Psalm 95:1-5—The psalmist reminds us to “sing for joy to the Lord.”

›What does this look like?

›Shouting

›Giving thanks

›Singing

›Did any of you watch football games yesterday?

›Are you like me?

›When I watch a game, it is not a “quiet” or “laid back” enterprise.

›All of me gets involved

›I yell, I stand up, I raise the roof

›When my team scores, I don’t sit quietly by and say, “Good job.”

›In fact, at football stadiums all around our country yesterday, when the home team scored, pandemonium probably erupted

›Yet when we worship God, we seem to act as though what he has done is worth less excitement than a touchdown

›I’m not saying that we need cheerleaders or a marching band at church (although the band thing could be cool, right?).

›What I mean is that we should show some excitement at what God has done

›Our worship should involve some emotional and joyful expressions

›What is the source of this joy according to Psalm 95? What has God done?

›He has given us salvation

›He is a great God (he is the best!)

›He is the High King over all Kings

›He holds the whole world in his hands

›He made everything, and it all belongs to him (Hebrews 1:1-4)

›Our God is worthy of our joy, of our excitement, of our worship

›True worship includes a joyful response to God’s person and work

›2. Awe

›Psalm 95:6-7—Now we see the tone shift a bit. The Psalmist goes from excitement and loud rejoicing to a more subdued tone.

›Worship, bow down, kneel—you can almost feel the action slowing down. We’ve had our shouting moment, now we are called to reverence, to quiet reflection, to a recognition of God’s presence as an awe-full experience

›Think of Isaiah 6:1-6—how did Isaiah respond when he saw God in the temple?

›He pronounced “woe” on himself

›He felt undone

›He got as low as he could in the presence of a holy God

›Throughout the Bible we find these kinds of responses

›Moses

›Daniel

›John the Apostle

›These people understood the need to get low before their mighty God

›They understood God as their creator, as the holy one

›Our passage contains that kind of feel.

›Yes, it is appropriate to come to God with rejoicing, dancing, shouts of joy, and excitement.

›But sometimes we need to slow down, to wait in his holy presence, to just sit still in front of the one who made us (the one who provides for us)

›What kinds of things cause “awe” in you? Why do you feel that way?

›Usually awe or a sense of reverence is caused by something “bigger” or “grander” than us

›That is how the psalmist sees God

›That’s how we should see him

›Like last week, we need to have a humble heart before our God (Hebrews 12:28-30).

›We are receiving from God the amazing gift of salvation and citizenship in his unshakeable kingdom.

›We didn’t earn it or buy it, we were given it by his grace and mercy

›Therefore we should show gratitude and awe

›We should respond with humble service to God

›True worship responds with reverence to God

›3. Obedience

›Psalm 96:8-11—the sense of awe and reverence should lead to an offer of acceptable service to God (remember Heb. 10?). This is the final point of our passage. True worship requires obedience.

›In the end of verse 7, our author calls us to pay attention, to give heed to the voice of God, while verse 8 warns us not to harden our hearts.

›The call here is to hear and obey. To hear and disobey or to ignore is not only dangerous, it may be deadly (cf. James 2:21-25; Hebrews 2:1-4)

›Note the change in tone again in verse 9.

›God is speaking now, and he does not sound happy!

›Worship has moved from our communications to or about God to God’s communication to us.

›God is speaking, we must hear and obey.

›God now tells us what happens when hearing his Word is not mixed with faithfulness and obedience (Heb. 4:1-2)

›In verse 10 he says “I loathed that generation.” Other translations say, “I was angry with them.”

›The word “angry” has to do with God being disgusted

›Verse 11 reminds us that a lack of obedience may lead to a strong rebuke (Heb. 3:7-12 quotes these verses; Heb. 4:11-13)

›We must be careful not to harden our hearts to God’s Word

›We must respond with obedience

›True worship waits for God to speak, then responds with obedience

›Conclusion

›True worship then involves at least three things:

›Joy at who God is and what he has done

›Awe in the presence of God’s character

›Obedience to God’s Word to us in worship

›In other words, when we worship God, we should include exuberance for his kind gifts, quiet reverence at his enduring holiness, and expectant hearts to hear him speak and to be quick to obey

›If only it was that easy, right?

›Worship can actually be very messy.

›Too often we focus on only one aspect and miss the others.

›We are too loud and never reverential.

›We are always quiet and never rejoice.

›We simply do not listen for God’s voice.

›If the truth were known, we would realize that worship “in Spirit and in truth” (John 14) can be serious stuff.

›If we understood the gravity of it, we would center our lives on seeking to worship a worthy God in a worthy manner

›Every thought and act would be connected to that desire

›So, how do we do it?

›First, let’s find a way to, as A. W. Tozer says, develop “an everlasting preoccupation with God.” It is not an option, it is our calling! Where do you need to remove obstacles that keep you from being preoccupied with God? What keeps your focus off of Jesus and his accomplishments on your part? This week take some time to look for and to remove those obstacles. Become obsessed with Jesus!

›Second, spend some time in corporate and individual worship. Read the book of Hebrews aloud this week. Hear the admonitions from that author to hear and to obey God. Pay attention to the amazing attributes and surpassing superiority of Jesus. Focus on that. Be obsessed with that. Make special time this week to pursue this worship.

›Finally, obey what God has told you. Share his message of grace with others. Love your brothers and sisters. Spend time living the life of Jesus among and toward others. Get involved in community by investing time and energy in blessing those in your life.

›True worship is a right response to God.

›Thanks for reading!