Damascus Road

Auto-generated from the audio — may contain errors.

0:00 I've been thinking about this idea that I wanted to focus on for the next several weeks, this idea that the gospel or the love of God rested his prerogative not ours. That when we deal with the God of creation and life, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of Christ in the church, this God always moves first and we respond. And so we talked about a couple weeks ago, we talked about how at Sinai,

0:36 right before God gives these ten words that will describe what life looks like when you're in relationship with Him, which have come to be called the Ten Commandments. Right before that, He says, remember how I carried you on Eve's Eagle's wings and brought you here up out of Egypt. And we talked about how the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob rescued Israel from Egypt, though they never asked Him to, though they actually didn't remember God's name. And actually, when God sent Moses, they told Moses to go away, that they were fine without God.

1:12 And yet God saves them anyway and makes them into Israel. So they are Israel not because they've done anything, but because God picked them. And then last week we talked about this story of the little girl, where the gospel writers preserved the Aramaic phrase of Jesus, T'aliza Kuhn, where while she was literally dead, Jesus goes through. She can't have done anything, she was dead lying in the bed.

1:42 And God, Jesus, God in the person of Jesus, calls the little girl, little girl, wake up. We talked about the reality that God will one day wake up us up as well, because we are His. And Paul told us while we were yet dead in his sins. And so today I want to look at this story from Acts in Acts 9. If you want to look there with me, we didn't put paper copies around because we thought they might carry a virus.

2:14 I don't know. We didn't want to give you paper copies, but if you have a digital copy, we're looking at Acts 9. Acts of the Apostles, chapter 9, starting at verse 1. Before we do that, let me pray for us. Good Lord, thank you for bringing us here together this morning. We agree and acknowledge this morning, Lord, that we love you because you have loved us.

2:46 That you called us into existence because you wanted to. And you preserve our lives because you love us. And we look forward, Lord, to the day that you call us home because indeed we are yours and always happen. Call to us today. Love us today and awaken in us love in response.

3:19 In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Acts 9, starting at verse 1, says this, 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 synagogue, to the mask, if he found any belonging to the way men or women might bring him to be brown.

3:52 Just a quick setting our minds here on what's going on. Remember that the actual apostles is a continuation of Luke's account of the gospel, that Luke was a smart, we think maybe a physician, really well learned in the Greek language, but all of his stories he got mostly second hand. By actually we realize that in part of Acts he might have been traveling with Paul and stuff, but this priest stuff from the gospel through to the beginning, he's getting from second hand, he's doing interviews.

4:26 You can see in this story he says Saul, remember that Saul is this, you can read a lot about Saul, he comes to Paul and writes a majority of our New Testament, but Saul had been educated in the Jewish system like the best of the best in the Jewish system. He made it all the way through Hebrew school which a lot of people would drop out at different points in Hebrew school and go to follow other trades. Saul makes it all the way through Hebrew school and then most of it when they finish Hebrew school would definitely then go on and do another trade,

5:02 but the best of the best students might say I wanted to vote my life to becoming a rabbi. Now not every synagogue had a rabbi, rabbis traveled around on circuits and served other synagogues, so you were giving yourself to a life on the road at least for a period of time, but Saul goes to follow Gamaliel which is his name is remembered in the tradition of the church because Gamaliel was recognized as one of the best rabbis, the elite. So it's like going to Harvard if Harvard accepts 12 people.

5:34 Saul is the elite of the elite and he's an up and comer because the Pharisees had had Messiahs before, and people tried to start uprisings to overthrow Rome and they had the system of breaking them down because they didn't want Rome to crack down and take away the temple from them. They wanted to let him keep practicing their religion. And so when Jesus of Nazareth comes up and builds a following, they squelch him before he makes any claims to throw off Rome because they don't want Rome to crush them,

6:06 to take away their religious autonomy. But the problem for the Pharisees for Saul's group is that the way of Jesus, they start calling it the way, the way of Jesus, this is new interpretation. Some say a new yoke, a new understanding of the Jewish Bible, a new way of living. They give you immediate access to the God. So the way of Jesus continues to grow after they kill Jesus of Nazareth and so Saul, as the best of the best, is out to fix the problem before it gets out of hand.

6:44 And killing Jesus wasn't enough, so we've got to find the leaders of the way in all the synagogues and kill them before it continues to spread. And the Roman emperor realizes it's causing an uprising and sends military across the desert around the Mediterranean to stamp out the sunprising. Saul's going to fix it, the best of the best. So Luke writes that Saul was breathing murderous threats.

7:14 Of course, Saul oversees the stoning of the first martyr in the followers of the way. Remember, stoning is brutal. The idea is mob killing. It's brutal, brutal death. It's big stones on your head and your lungs to knock you out and then groups of stones on you to kill you while you lay unconscious. Brutal. Saul oversees it with satisfaction, then gets a warrant to go to the outside towns and begin persecuting people of the way.

7:48 This is Saul on his way to the masqueous. Okay. Murder threats. Verse three. Now as he went on his way, he approached the masqueous and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him and fallen to the ground he heard of 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're persecuting, but rise into the city and you'll be told what you are to do.

8:22 The men who were traveling with him could speak to us 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 with outside and neither ate nor drank. This is after the ascension. It's always kind of confused me. It's one question I'm going to ask Jesus when I meet him, but it's like he goes through the trouble. I mean, he's there, he's in ministry maybe for three years building disciples, right?

8:55 Well, Saul I guess is learning from Gamaliel, but he's not one of the twelve, right? And then Jesus is publicly executed, a host of angels are now, I mean, accompanying him. He breaks out of the tomb, right? He appears, it says he's a round, red-directed in his body walking around on earth for 40 days. It says he appears to 500 people and Saul wasn't one of them.

9:26 Then dramatically he tells his eleven who are left, meet me on the hill of Galilee where I taught you so many times, and I'll give you one last lesson. And then he says, okay, I'll be with you, always to the very end of the age. If I go, I go to prepare a place. He does the whole thing. He commissions them. Right? Go out into all the world and as you come and go, make disciples of all nations. If I'm talking and teach them, they'll be everything I've commanded you. Okay? Good. Goes up. I'm going up to set down the Holy Spirit. All of that without getting Saul.

10:00 And then after he ascends, after Saul oversees the stoning of Stephen, Jesus makes a special trip back down out of heaven on the road to Damascus for this dude. Why? By all accounts, Saul is a self-righteous jerk, fill it in. Like a bad dude.

10:33 Special trip. I get it like he's he's zealous. But can we pick somebody who's zealous for the way? It's so interesting to me. The other thing that's interesting is something happens on the road to Damascus. Saul, of course, it's renamed as Paul and goes on and argues in every venue that Jesus is a messiah, convincingly, because Saul is indisputably brilliant.

11:06 So he argues, you'll see, he argues in Damascus for the way of Jesus so much so that the Pharisees try and kill him. He's got to escape out the walled city in a basket. He's smuggled out of town because they want to kill him now because he's such an avid follower of the way, right? He walked around Asia Minor three times, starting churches, arguing on street corners and in marketplaces, convincing people of the way of Jesus with his rhetoric. He goes to Athens and argues with the philosophers, like the smartest people in the world.

11:38 And Jesus argument to Paul is, hey man, it's me. Cut it out. There's not a logical argument. He doesn't reason Paul into it. He appears to him on the road and something mystical happens. Something supernatural happens when Jesus confronts him. The historical record of Saul, the realization of who he is as a person, a real jerk pursuing

12:19 the people of the way, and then not is there. Something supernatural happens at that point. And the only reason we can think of for it happening is because God wanted it too. Certainly Saul had done nothing to warrant the grace of God. So I was reading this story because I like it and I like that like you see how it fits in with our

12:53 theme, Kirk of God moves first and we respond. God moves towards Saul and then Saul fasts for three days, right? And then verse ten, now there was a disciple out to Damascus named Ananias and the Lord said to him in a vision, Ananias, and he said, yeah, I'm here. Verse 11, and the Lord said to him, hey, get up and go to the street called straight, and the house of Judas looked for a man of Karsas named Saul for behold he is praying and he has seen a vision,

13:25 a man named Ananias come in, lay his hands on him that he might regain his sight. I love this answer for Mananias verse 12, but Ananias answered, Lord, yeah, I heard of that guy, and he's a real jerk, right? He's been doing lots of evil to your saints at Jerusalem. Oh, yeah, Saul Tarsus, no, thank you. And he has the authority from the key priest 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 the kings and the children of Israel,

14:02 for I will show him how much, look at this, I don't know how yours translates it, but mine says, for I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name. So Ananias goes and does exactly what God tells him to do. Isn't this interesting? Because there is a significant change that happens, right? Saul is a real jerk, fill it in, pursuing the people of the way. God of his own prerogative makes a special trip out of heaven to change the direction of Saul,

14:35 and he does just by his presence without any logical argument for perhaps the most logical man in the world, right? Without any logic just by his presence, if something supernatural happens and changes, and then you'll see, right, Saul gets a whole new name, and he becomes arguably the most effective evangelist for the church in the history of the world, right? But Jesus says, I want to show him how much he's going to, how much success he's going to have.

15:12 I want to show Saul how much worldly, renowned authority and power. Saul is on the way to run the Pharisees, man, to like tell everybody what to do. Like that's the traction zone. Everyone knows him. Ananias is in a whole other town and has heard that Saul is coming. Saul is a big deal, right?

15:42 And Jesus offers him suffering. He does suffer. Look, if you want, you can punch in 2 Corinthians 15, 19. I have premarked it so I can turn straight to it, because I'm a preacher and I thought I had my second Corinthians chapter, 1 Corinthians chapter 15, 2 Corinthians, sorry, I got it. 2 Corinthians chapter 11, 1 Corinthians 24, that's what I get.

16:31 He said, I want to show him how much he's going to suffer. Look, you can read this a couple of places Paul talks about it. I don't know, I mean, you can figure out why, but it's brutal, right? 24. We're just jumping in on the story because I want you to hear that Paul did suffer. Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the 40 last is the last one, 40 last is supposed to kill you. They do one because they want you to keep living and remember that they laugh you almost to death.

17:01 Five times I received the last one at the end of the Jews, minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods. I don't know what that means, but it sounds terrible, right? Once I was stoned, if you're stoned and you live, it's because they're sure they already killed you. That's the only reason you're stoned and lived is that that guy is dead. Let's go. Stoned.

17:34 Three times was stiff wrecked. A night and day was adrift at sea on frequent journeys in dangers from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers in soil and hardship through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure, and apart from other things, there's the daily pressure on me of my anxieties for all the church. Who is weak and I am not weak. Who is made to fall and I am not insignificant.

18:06 Paul's life did not go the way he had planned, safe to say. He was Gamaliel's disciple. He was the chosen one of the Pharisees, like he was on his way. And you heard, he finally makes it down to, besides my daily anxieties from all of the responsibilities I have, the lashes minus the ones, the stoning, the shipwrecking, the run out of town, saying.

18:39 In Damascus, Ananias comes and tells Saul, hey man get up, he goes from your eyes, Jesus says get ready, you're going to suffer for his name. Paul says cool. Why? How is your life going? You don't have to answer that, but think about it. Is it the way you'd like? Is it what you had stoked out or specked out?

19:21 There's a thing that happens when you encounter Jesus, happened to Paul, where you recognize someone else is in charge and that one knows better. Paul was so convinced of it. He said that one knows better, no matter what.

19:54 Shipwrecked the third time, maybe I'm on the wrong track? No. Stoned, maybe I've aligned with the wrong person? Nope. Beat with rods, still on my way. Lashes the third time, still on my way. Lashes the third, daily anxieties and pressures, still on my way man. Paul, this is the last part for us and let's see if I can get it right on the first time.

20:25 Okay, we're going to 1st Corinthians 15 this time. For real. You guys. This chapter is like kind of amazing, so I'm going to try and not do all of it. But there are two sections I want to look at. 1st Corinthians 15.

20:55 Okay, I'm going to read 3 to 10 and we're going to stop at 10, but you have to hear from 3 forward. For I delivered to you a 1st importance, what I also received. That Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures. That he was buried. That he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. And that he appeared to see this and then to the 12th. Then he appeared to more than 500 brothers at one time, most of them are still alive.

21:32 What? Though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James and then to all the apostles. And last of all, to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles. Unworthy to be called apostle because I persecuted the Church of God. But by the grace of God, I am what I am. And his grace towards me was not in vain. It feels like I say this might be one of my favorite verses in the Scriptures.

22:06 By the grace of God, I am what I am. And his grace towards me was not in vain. Look, you, probably in three different ways, or at least in three different places, have failed. And you have at least, let's say, three more failures in your life. You are the least of the apostles. What are we?

22:39 And yes, you are here today. And yet, for some reason, the God of creation and life, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of Christ and the Church, has called you, whispered into your heart and mind, invited you to believe that the story of Christ could be real. He has called you. By the grace of God, look, you are what you are, but his grace towards you will not.

23:13 Does not have to be in vain. Oh, that animates me. Lord, good Lord. How many new beginnings do you give me to not be a jerk? Like how many times am I out on my own road to Damascus, my own little place of my own sense of power or influence? How often am I running down my own notions of what I ought to be, who I ought to be, what I ought to do?

23:46 How often am I running down my own plans and you by grace interrupt me and invite me to trust you again? Oh, good Lord, please, your grace to me not be in vain. I was thinking about that with Paul. The grace towards Paul is not vain.

24:17 It was a good trip Jesus made. I don't know why he missed it the first 30 years he was on earth or that extra 40 days after the resurrection. I don't know why he missed Saul, but it was a good trip back down. It was not in vain, right? Churches all over Asia Minor, New Testament written for us. We can study it today. Good work, Paul. I hope wherever Paul is right now, he rests. He did it. He tells us what got him through his daily anxieties.

24:51 He tells us what got him through his sufferings and his interruptions into his planned life. It's right after this. 1 Corinthians 15, go down to verse 19. How about 19? Let's just go right to 19. Carol. If in this life only we have hoped in Christ, we of all people are to be made.

25:27 It's the most pity. But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. The first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as in, Adam all died, so in Christ all shall be made alive. But each in his own order Christ the first fruits, then it's coming to Christ. Paul gets through his daily anxieties, his interruptions on his life, his own failures, and restarts because he knows he is headed somewhere.

26:03 The lashings won't be the end of him. The shipwrecks won't be the end of him. The stoning won't be the end of him. The daily anxieties and pressures of his life won't be the end of him. That like Christ before him, he will be raised to life and live for us. This is true for you. Maybe now more than ever you need to be reminded, this world is not it for you.

26:41 There is more to come. For you. Thank God. Let me pray. Good Lord. Thank you. For however you had to get our attention, maybe.

27:12 The mask is thrown, it was the only way you could get Saul's attention. Do whatever you have to do to get ours. Break us out of our own little power schemes and strategies for our own notions of success. Get our attention and align us with your reign on earth. Well Grace, we need Grace today and we know you will enjoy your grace towards us is not in vain.

28:00 In Jesus name you pray.