Saul meets the Lord
Acts 9:1-9; 7/9/2023; BCBC/IOUC; Rev. Paul Wang
Introduction
Every Christian has a period of experience before believing in the Lord, and every child of God will experience life renewal through meeting the Lord. The apostle Paul also experienced a life-changing journey from Saul to Paul. Let’s look at the first point:
Before meeting the Lord
This may be a part we are familiar with but easy to ignore, isn’t it? It is right to go straight to the goal after believing in the Lord, but it is also necessary to turn back and deal with your old self. First of all, utter words that threaten to murder. Have you noticed that sometimes our faith does not match our spiritual life? Especially our mouths, right? We have read the thirteen epistles of Paul, and how many words of encouragement and comfort there are in them. Who would have thought that Paul would have been a person who “uttered words of threats and murder”. Isn’t this also the situation of our life? Take myself as an example. I grew up just before the Cultural Revolution, and all kinds of filthy words came out of my mouth, and I almost felt nothing when I said them. It seems that swearing is human rights and freedoms. The whole mode of thinking is reversing right and wrong, and has no moral bottom line. If you believe in the Lord, you should learn how to speak again, starting with speaking well. Don’t think it’s easy, it’s not easy to speak kind words!
Second, the motivation for going to the high priest. This point is often hidden very deep, and even oneself don’t know it. We are usually too lazy to think about things, and we are used to shirk responsibility. Anyway, it’s a task given by the high priest, so just tell him if there’s anything. A good friend asked me to write an anonymous letter. Should I write it? Think about it, anyway, he is a good friend, usually has a good relationship with me, and often takes care of me, so let’s write. As for what to write and why, I don’t bother to think about it. Of course, once you think about and ask God’s will, you will have to pay a price. I have a friend who, when I first arrived in Dallas, asked me to fight for him as an emeritus pastor at the deacon meeting in my own capacity. I said, I don’t even know what an emeritus priest is, how can I fight for you? As a result, you should all know that in the end, we can’t even make friends.
Finally, bring them bound to Jerusalem. Saul captured Christians everywhere and brought them bound to Jerusalem, which had become his daily life. This is the blind spot that people are most likely to ignore. Sadly, they didn’t pay much attention and didn’t take it seriously at the time. The great evil that binds Christians that we see today is actually a blind spot that Saul used to live in back then. How embarrassing it is! The high priest, Pilate, crucified Jesus Christ for the same reason. So, is it the same reason for destroying churches, tearing down crosses, arresting Pastor Cao, SanQiang, and sentencing Pastor Wang, Yi that started in 2013? It is easier for us to accept the later Paul because of his change in life, but not because of our transcendence before God. Jesus said to Thomas, “Blessed is the man who believes without seeing.” Likewise, blessed is the man who forgave an unrepentant Saul back then. Let’s look at the second point:
What happened when meeting the Lord
It can be said that everyone’s first encounter with the Lord is a miracle. Miracles can be dramatic or unremarkable. When Saul met the Lord for the first time, it was miraculous and wonderful. First, suddenly there is a light from heaven. As the saying goes: “There are unpredictable things in the sky, and people have good and bad fortune!” This is our humanistic explanation for things that people can’t control. We know that with God there are no accidents because He is in control of all things. God made a purpose to shine a great light on Saul on his way through Damascus. It is irrefutable proof that God is light, and that he shone on Saul with light. Don’t you, Saul, fear God? How should you respond? One day, we will also meet the Lord in the light. It is in the air, and there is also a great light. Or the light we receive from His Word when we read it, is essentially the same. The light of encountering God is far beyond our imagination. Are you ready?
Second, why are you persecuting me? Saul’s reaction to the encounter with the Lord was normal and out of control. He fell to the ground. It does not mean that he has a choice, but that he has to fall. The Holy Spirit is powerful, and you can’t help but choose whether to fall or not. not only fell down, but also spoke, saying: “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” Due to his ignorance, Saul did not realize that he was still a persecutor of the Lord. In addition, to persecute the church is to persecute the Lord, to persecute brothers and sisters in the church is to persecute the Lord, and to persecute one is to persecute the whole! This is a question that those who persecute Jesus Christ, the church, and Christians throughout the ages must think about. Who did you whip, Pilate, do you know? You are so courageous, you dare to fight and kill even the people of God?
Finally, the Jesus you persecuted. Saul thought about it, and began to panic, so he asked: “Who are you, Lord?” After calling Jesus Lord, who does he still have to ask? This explains that Saul had always been a religious Judaizer, not a believer in God. Similarly, we who are in the church today may be just religious believers, and may not have a relationship of faith with God. At the heart of faith is a dialogue with God, right? Saul’s religious habits had blinded him to God, and the Lord Himself helped him, saying: “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” For Saul, this was an earth-shattering statement. The complete sentence is: The Lord you are persecuting is Jesus, Christ. If it were you, how would you respond? Let’s look at the third point:
Confusion after meeting the Lord
We may have a misunderstanding, thinking that believing in the Lord will solve all problems. Difficulties have disappeared, personality has changed, rational thinking, emotional coping, historical connections, etc. have all started to smooth out, become easier, and be fine. However, real experience tells us that this is impossible. First, hear the voice of the Lord. A very important point in the relationship between God and man is to close our mouths, open our ears, and listen to the voice of the Lord. In Chapter nine, verse six: “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do. (Acts 9:6)” Saul, who was familiar with the Bible, was familiar with the sentence patterns in which God spoke to him here. The same is true of God’s command to the prophet Jeremiah: “Go down to the potter’s house, and there I will give you my message. (Jeremiah 18:2)” The Lord’s word carries authority and leaves no ground. A man of God has no choice but to obey. God values our obedience far more than our cleverness.
Second, bear witness to the voice of the Lord. This is what God has prepared for us to witness. When we hear the voice of God, it is impossible to cover it, not to share it with others, to testify for the Lord. When we say we hear the voice of the Lord, it cannot be just your personal matter. You need to testify in the church! When you said that you heard the voice of God, some people who were with you stood up and said, “We also heard the voice, and it was the voice that Saul shared.” This is also to satisfy the bible “Every matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses. (2 Cor. 13:1)” Here is the scriptural testimony that Saul believed in the Lord. In particular, Saul will become Paul in the future, becoming an apostle who preached the gospel to the Gentiles, leaving an irrefutable testimony, which will be very important to the future Paul in terms of ministry.
Finally, obey the voice of the Lord. In fact, at this moment, Saul has temporarily become blind and cannot see anything. I guess that’s what God did on purpose, right? When we completely surrender before God, it will be easier for God to guide our steps. I’m concerned that you know half of it and don’t know the other half. God says a word, and you talk back a word. God said a few words, and you simply snatched the right to speak. Only you speak, not God. Saul’s total blindness instead made him focus on God for three days. Even eating and drinking can be ignored, this is what God wants from us to pay attention to Him. May I ask, in our life, have we ever had a longing for God, or a three-day and three-night focus?
Conclusion
Well, dear brothers and sisters, what have we learned from Paul’s encounter with the Lord in great light on the Damascus Road? Learning to deal with our old self before believing in God, recalling the excitement when we met the Lord, or being grateful for getting out of confusion after believing in the Lord?
Let us pray……
Acts 9:1-9
1 Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest
2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.
3 As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him.
4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”
5 “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied.
6 “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
7 The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone.
8 Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus.
9 For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.
