Last week we talked about Saul meeting Jesus on his way to Damascus. We talked about the first thing in becoming a man or woman of God is to accept Jesus Christ into your heart with true repentance.
After that has occurred the next step is a change takes place in your heart and life. Such a change that others see it. Many don't understand it but clearly a change has taken place.
In Acts chapter 9 we see a definite change has taken place in Saul's life. A man named Ananias is told by Jesus to go to Damascus and find Saul:
Acts 9:11 "Get up and go to the street called Straight," the Lord said to him, "to the house of Judas, and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, since he is praying there.
1. The first thing you find in Saul's life - He prayed, he talked to God. There are so many scriptures telling us to pray:
Matthew 5:44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
Matthew 9:38 Therefore, pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest."
Matthew 18:19 Again, I assure you: If two of you on earth agree about any matter that you pray for, it will be done for you by My Father in heaven.
Mark 11:24 Therefore I tell you, all the things you pray and ask for--believe that you have received them, and you will have them.
Luke 22:40 When He reached the place, He told them, "Pray that you may not enter into temptation."
Ephesians 6:20 For this I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I might be bold enough in Him to speak as I should.
1Thessalonians 5:17 Pray constantly.
Do you believe in prayer? Do you pray?
Acts 9:12 - 16 In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and placing his hands on him so he can regain his sight." "Lord," Ananias answered, "I have heard from many people about this man, how much harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem. And he has authority here from the chief priests to arrest all who call on Your name." But the Lord said to him, "Go! For this man is My chosen instrument to take My name to Gentiles, kings, and the Israelites. I will show him how much he must suffer for My name!"
2. God had a plan for Saul's life. In Jeremiah 29:11 we read this:
Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you"--this is the LORD's declaration--"plans for your welfare, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.
Do you believe God has a plan for your life? Are you living it?
Acts 9:17a So Ananias left and entered the house. Then he placed his hands on him and said, "Brother Saul,
3. Saul had a new family. He came with a group of men who were going to help him bring back the Christians at Damascus - we don't hear of Saul following that group ever again.
Who do you fellowship with - is it your new family - or those of the past who led you the wrong way?
Acts 9:17b the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road you were traveling, has sent me so that you can regain your sight
Act 9:18a At once something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight.
Saul was blind but now he can see. In the book of John a blind man meets Jesus and Jesus heals him. When asked by the Pharisees who healed him he simply answers:
John 9:25 He answered, "Whether or not He's a sinner, I don't know. One thing I do know: I was blind, and now I can see!"
4. He will give sight to the blind. He will open our eyes to see and learn about Him.
Acts 9:17c and be filled with the Holy Spirit."
5. He will fill you with the Holy Spirit.
What happens when you are filled with the Holy Spirit?
Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
John 15:16 You did not choose Me, but I chose you. I appointed you that you should go out and produce fruit and that your fruit should remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give you.
Galatians 5:22 - 23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law.
2Corinthians 3:18 We all, with unveiled faces, are looking as in a mirror at the glory of the Lord and are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory; this is from the Lord who is the Spirit.
Ephesians 5:18 And don't get drunk with wine, which leads to reckless actions, but be filled by the Spirit:
The Holy Spirit will give us the power and desire to be His witnesses. The Holy Spirit will change our lives. We no longer have the desires we had before. He will give us love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, and self-control. With the Holy Spirit living in us we will look like Him, God's glory will be mirrored through us. Talk about a change!
Are you His witness wherever you are? Are you producing fruit? Do you believe in prayer? Are you producing fruit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, and self-control? Do others see Christ in you?
How do you know you are filled with the Holy Spirit?
· Do you have a greater love for Christ?
· Do you have a greater love for God's word?
· Is prayer more important to you?
· Are you more concerned for those who do not know Christ as Savior?
· Are you experiencing a greater boldness, liberty, and power in witnessing?
Acts 9:18b Then he got up and was baptized.
Acts 2:38 "Repent," Peter said to them, "and be baptized, each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
6. Saul takes on a new identity - obedience in baptism - showing the whole world that he is not ashamed to testify that he is now a follower of Jesus Christ.
Acts 9:19 And after taking some food, he regained his strength. Saul was with the disciples in Damascus for some days.
Jesus tells us:
Matthew 18:20 For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there among them."
Hebrews 10:25 not staying away from our worship meetings, as the manner of some is; but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day drawing near.
As Paul ends this verse: but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day drawing near. Even Paul was telling people to be ready for Jesus to come back - Go to church! Fellowship with other followers of Jesus Christ.
7. Saul had fellowship with other followers of Jesus.
Acts 9:20 Immediately he began proclaiming Jesus in the synagogues: "He is the Son of God."
8. Saul testified to others who Jesus is.
Acts 9:21 But all who heard him were astounded and said, "Isn't this the man who, in Jerusalem, was destroying those who called on this name and then came here for the purpose of taking them as prisoners to the chief priests?"
People saw the change in Saul's life. They knew and remembered who Saul was and what he did. But now they see the new and changed Saul.
Romans 6:4 Therefore we were buried with Him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in a new way of life.
2Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away, and look, new things have come.
9. Christ will change your life and your lifestyle. Do people see the change that Christ has made in your life? Or are you the same person you have always been.
Acts 9:22 But Saul grew more capable and kept confounding the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that this One is the Messiah.
10. Saul grew in Christ.
How do we grow?
2Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
What are we to study? The Word of God.
When we come to Him He tells us we are like newborn infants:
1Peter 2:2 - 3 Like newborn infants, desire the pure spiritual milk, so that you may grow by it for your salvation, since you have tasted that the Lord is good.
But we don't stay infants. If Ellie, who is almost 3 years old, would still be crawling and drinking from a bottle, and eating baby food, we would think that something is wrong. The same way in living the Christian life. We are to grow by feasting on the living Word of God.
Are we growing this morning?
Are you growing in Him? How much time do we spend in God's word?
11. In these few verses we also see forgiveness - not on Saul's part but on the part of Ananias and those disciples who gathered around Saul. If we think of Saul and what he was doing to the early church and the disciples:
Acts 8:1 Saul agreed with putting Stephen to death. On that day a severe persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout the land of Judea and Samaria.
Acts 9:1 Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord.
Today we would consider Saul an ISIS leader or Al-Qaeda leader, searching and finding Christians and putting them to death, the same way we see Christians being murdered today.
If God called you to go and visit one of the ISIS leaders today and gave you instructions what to do, would you go and do it? That is what these men of God were told to do. To accept Saul as one of them - first forgiveness had to take place.
Christian - has that kind of change taken place in your heart that you forgive others for the things they have done to you?
What about the change in your life this morning?
1. Do you pray?
2. Do you believe God has a plan for life and are you living it?
3. Do you realize you now belong to a new family?
4. Do you know you were born blind but now you see?
5. Do you know you have the Holy Spirit living in you?
6. Have you been obedient in baptism?
7. Do you fellowship with other believers? Do you come to church every service?
8. Do you share with others who Jesus is and what He has done for you?
9. Are you living a changed life?
10. Do you grow by reading God's Word?
11. Do you forgive?
I read this question a long time ago:
If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?
Has there been a change in your life?
There is nothing more thrilling as a pastor than to watch God transform a Saul into a Paul. I have seen that in many of you. But I have also seen some who have kept their identity as Saul and not allowed God to transform their life into a Paul who don’t want to give up their old life.
Today is Father’s Day and I am so thankful that one day my dad allowed God to take over his life and he was transformed from a life of Saul to a life of Paul. If he had not done that I probably would not be standing here today as your pastor.
I am thankful that one day Tex Clark allowed God to transform his life from Saul to Paul or my wife would not be here with me today. You see your decisions will affect the lives of others. Paul’s certainly did.
What about you this morning – dads – have you made the choice to receive Christ into your heart? Have you made the choice that you want your life changed from a Saul to a Paul? Do you want that change to take place in your life?
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