Good evening to all of you again good to be back in the Lord's house. You can turn in your Bibles to Acts chapter 9, please Acts chapter 9 One of the things that we noted this morning when we were preaching about the four attributes of the church or we read from a quote of C. H. Spurgeon speaking about Protestant apostolic succession and how we can look back upon the history of the Christian Church and we can see the landscape peopled with our brethren.

We can see father after father, martyr after martyr, brother after brother shaking hands because of the purity of the doctrine that has been kept by God's grace throughout the ages. Well, we can certainly reach back very far, and we're going to reach back, and one of the brothers, one of the people of Christ that we can reach back to and shake hands with, with our doctrine, of course, is the Apostle Paul. And we're going to note the Apostle Paul, or we're going to make some observations concerning the conversion of the Apostle Paul from Acts chapter 9. So why don't we read Acts chapter 9, we'll read verse 1 to 19, then we'll pray and we'll observe some truths concerning the conversion of Paul or Saul.

Acts 9, verse 1. Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. As he journeyed, he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. Then he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?

And he said, who are you, Lord? Then the Lord said, I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads. So he, trembling and astonished, said, Lord, what do you want me to do?

Then the Lord said to him, arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do. And the men who journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice but seeing no one. Then Saul arose from the ground, and when his eyes were opened, he saw no one. But they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus.

And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank. Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias. And to him the Lord said in a vision, Ananias. And he said, Here I am, Lord.

So the Lord said to him, Arise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus, for behold he is praying. And in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him so that he might receive his sight. Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he has done to your saints in 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 vessel of mine to bear my name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. For I will show him how many things he must suffer for my name's sake. And Ananias went his way and entered the house. And laying his hands on him, he said, Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.

Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once. And he arose and was baptized. So when he had received food, he was strengthened. Then Saul spent some days with the disciples at Damascus.

Amen. Well, let's pray. Father, we thank you again that we can gather in this place for your worship. God, we thank you again that we do get to do this.

Brothers and sisters in Christ coming in here and worship worshiping our great God. And we ask yet again, Father, that you remove remove from us anything that would hinder right and proper worship. Might we worship you, God, in spirit and in truth. Just help us, Father, to be solely focused on the worship of our Triune God.

And we praise you again for the work of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, that work of salvation, that perfect work. And may He always be before us as the chief object of our affection. And God, help us as we study your word now, help preacher and hearer to preach and to listen and to do all unto your glory. And might you truly be edified in Christ Jesus, exalted upon the praises of your people and his people this day.

We pray in the name of our victor and our redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Well,

Introduction

Luke, the gospel writer, didn't just finish his work with the Gospel of Luke. He continued and wrote a second volume, the Book of Acts. We just read from Acts chapter 9. And what we wouldn't have seen, or what we of course know if we've read or if we've been in the Bible study, is that the Book of Acts is the continuing account now of the victory and the leading of the risen and ascended Christ.

The Book of Luke was about the incarnate Christ, ultimately crucified, resurrected. And his second volume of his work, the Book of Acts, is the work of the reigning Christ, working by and through and for his people. And what we've seen before this is the work of the Gospel going forward in fulfillment of the Lord Jesus Christ's words in Acts 1 verse 8, that you would be my witnesses first in Jerusalem, then in Judea and Samaria, then to the uttermost parts of the earth. Well, just before Acts chapter 9, at Acts chapter 8, we had a division in the story.

Saul was present at the stoning of Stephen. Saul was there. The men laid their clothes down at a young man named Saul. He was a witness to the execution, the murder of godly Stephen.

Not only that, though, he gave the thumbs up, he heartily affirmed and consented to the death of the martyr Stephen. Then we read in Acts chapter 8 verse 1 that a great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem and then the disciples went everywhere or believers went everywhere preaching the word. They went out to Judea and all Samaria and ultimately We arrive now, after Philip and his preaching to the Ethiopian, the conversion of the Ethiopian, and his baptism, we arrive now at a shift in the story and the account of Saul's conversion. And what we're going to look at tonight in observing Saul's conversion is first the difference maker in the conversion of Saul, as we consider Saul in his conversion.

We're going to look secondly at the strength of the truth. the strength of the truth from the conversion of Saul. Thirdly, the ultimate recipient of persecution. And fourthly, a proper response to sinners saved. A proper response to sinners saved.

Now,

The Difference Maker in Conversion

first off, the difference maker in this account of Saul's conversion Now, we all can heartily amen and we can fully recognize what the difference maker is in this particular conversion. But it is striking some of the elements that are present and some of those things that professors within Christendom will argue for with regards to conversion. It's striking how present they are in the text and how there are many implications. regarding doctrine that touch upon this text. One of the most amazing things that we find here is that most of what we know about the Apostle Paul, we know from his epistles, we know from the books that he wrote in the New Testament canon. because we like to read those wonderful portions of Paul, or we like to read those things about Paul, that we find in them.

When Paul is rendering doxology after doxology, praise after praise, to his triune God. We could think of Ephesians 1, for example, a long one-sentence doxology to perfect triune salvation. We like to read Paul's benediction, where he prays that the God of grace would bless his fellow Christians. We like to read Paul giving exhortation and speaking, penning great theological truths, the book of Romans.

But we don't often spend a whole lot of time on Saul, the one who is complicit in murder, Saul, the one who dragged men and women off to prison, Saul, the one who was an enemy, the enemy of the Christian church at one particular time. And what's good for us, a good exercise for the Christian is when we come or when we consider particular saints, whether Old Testament or new, is to consider who they were or what they were prior to conversion. When we think, for example, of the psalmist, when we think of David, blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. When we read of King David speaking to his soul to arise to the praise of the living and true God, it's good for us to remember that this was the David who sent Uriah to the forefront of the hottest battle, to be executed, to be murdered in battle so that he could cover up his sin of adultery.

So when we think about someone who's penning, blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven. It's a wonderful exercise to remember. Yeah, the King David could really write that because he knew forgiveness. He knew sin being covered by an almighty and a gracious God.

Well, when we consider the apostle Paul, it's good for us to remember when when we read blessed be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Remember Acts chapter 9 verses 1 and 2, that this Saul who can pen praises of rich glory to his Christ and his God is the Saul who was still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord. And he went to the high priest to ask for letters so that he could bring men and women bound to Jerusalem. What is the difference maker in this?

There should be no suspense at all. The difference maker is victorious grace. We as Calvinists say, yeah, we know that, we affirm the doctrines of grace, we know the solas, one of them being sola gratia, or by grace alone. Yeah, we know that, let's move on.

Well, it's always good to consider the amazing and victorious grace of God in the conversion of sinners, because that is where That is where the hinge turns, or where the door turns. The hinge on which the door turns. The amazing and victorious grace of Almighty God. Luther would say, well no, it's justification by faith.

That's where the Reformers would say that the hinge of the Reformation turned, or the door turned on the hinge of justification by faith. Well, I'm not sort of saying, Luther, you're wrong. I'm just saying, when we boil down sinners and God's conversion of them, it comes down to amazing and victorious grace. And when we look at this, we'll see this later, but we ought to draw great comfort from the fact that this one who was an enemy of the faith, an enemy of the way, an opposer of the way, is the one who would be the greatest propagator of the Christian faith.

Why are we comforted by that fact? Well, because we know people who are sinners. We know people who might not just be outwardly righteous according to man's eyes or according to humanity's opinions, but people who are outwardly and inwardly rebellious against the living and true God. Whether they are externally righteous, but internally at enmity with God, whether they are outwardly and inwardly at enmity with the living and true God, take great comfort in the Apostle Paul, formerly Saul of Tarsus, who was saved from being a murderer to being the greatest propagator of the Christian faith.

One thing that is great to recognize here, brethren, is that many people will say to us, or many people will argue, that events, judgments, massive calamities, disasters, large events can convert people. You'll often hear even some people say, well, I'll strike the fear of God into them. Or, if only such and such would happen so that they might be converted. And yes, God can use events like like a great light shining around Saul of Tarsus, him being knocked off of his horse, God can use these things as a means of bringing about the salvation of a sinner.

But it isn't the event itself that converts people. In an argument with the Jehovah's Witness one time, I was arguing for amazing grace, for victorious grace, for the fact that it is God who saves sinners, it is not sinners who come to salvation of their own works. And I argued for that fact from the Apostle Paul, and they argued, well no, it was just the grandness, the greatness of the event that brought about the conversion of Saul. He exercised his own will. and chose for Christ Jesus, because it was such an amazing event.

The shining of the light, the knocking back, all of these things led to Saul choosing rightly for Christ Jesus. Well, the Apostle Paul, remember, is the one who wrote, it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy. But I drew their attention to Revelation chapter 16. Revelation chapter 16, and maybe you can turn there just to understand more of what the difference maker actually is, because the weight and the force of this passage in the argument is immense.

It is not events, it is not calamity, it is not travesty, travail and trial that ultimately drives a man bending his knee to the King of Kings. It's the grace of God. Revelation chapter 16, beginning at verse four. This is God pouring out his seven bowls of wrath upon upon unbelievers.

He's pouring out his wrath. This is the fourth or sorry, the third bowl. Then the third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water, verse 4, Revelation chapter 16, and they became blood. And I heard the angel of the water saying, You are righteous, O Lord, the one who is and who was and who is to be, because you have judged these things.

For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and you have given them blood to drink, for it is their just due. And I heard another from the altar saying, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are your judgments. Now the fourth bowl comes. Then the fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun and power was given to him to scorch men with fire.

And men were scorched with great heat, and they blasphemed the name of God who has power over these plagues, and they did not repent and give him glory. An amazing event, an amazing judgment, striking judgment, and one that, of course, is true and righteous because it is coming from God Most High. But notice the response. These people don't say, Lord, what must we do?

They don't say, please tell us how we might come. unto eternal life, the forgiveness of sins, or anything like that? No. All the more, we read at the end of verse 8 and 9, we read that they blasphemed the name of God, who has power over these plagues, and they did not repent and give Him glory. So we come to the understanding, of course, where or what is the difference maker in salvation.

We can come to the account of the Apostle Paul, knowing the testimony of the converted Saul, the Apostle Paul, noting the accounts of the book of Revelation, noting the weight of the revealed will of God, and we can say the difference maker is Amazing Grace. Matthew Henry commenting Acts chapter eight in verse one brings to bear something very interesting, and that is what's going on with Luke penning. This is that Luke is probably receiving the story, the account and some direction from the Apostle Paul. The Apostle Paul may be dictating accounts.

The Apostle Paul is giving him historical fact, giving him glorious truths such as the account of his conversion. But Matthew Henry says regarding Acts chapter eight at verse one, where we read now Saul was consenting to his death. He says that we have reason to believe that Paul ordered Luke to insert this for shame to himself and glory to free grace, shame to himself and glory to free grace there. It's been said before by Pastor Butler and by many others that we have within the scriptures testimony, we have facts, we have arrangements of narratives, we have things that prove the inspiration of the Bible.

Things that prove that this can't be manufactured by men, this can't be put together by the hands of men, uninspired by God, it has to be inspired. And one of those things is the account of God's people. The account where we don't have accounts of undefiled, spotless, unblemished apostles, disciples, Christians, giving their accounts of heroism. While we have wonderful things that the apostle Paul did in the book of Acts, while we do have wonderful accounts elsewhere, we do have them, no doubt, voluntarily. in some places, offering that they too were wretches, that they once were lost, that they once were blind, but now they are found and now they see.

And this is what Saul is doing here. Paul is doing here. He orders Luke, if you will, according to the assessment of Matthew, he orders Luke to include the account of his venom against the early church. so that we might glory in free and sovereign grace. What is the difference maker?

The difference maker is grace in this conversion. And notice we have that demonstrated, or the post-conversion Paul now demonstrated here in verse 11 of Acts chapter 9. So the Lord said to him, the Lord said to Ananias, Arise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus, for behold, he is praying. Isn't that a wonderful thing that one who was once breathing threats and murder against the way against the Christian church is now praying to the Christ of that church.

It's a wonderful, wonderful testimony to free grace in just the span of some verses of 13. 13 verses, we have grieving threats and murder to Saul is praying. It's a wonderful testimony to sovereign and amazing and victorious grace.

The Strength of the Truth

Secondly, the strength of the truth, the strength of the truth. Now you might say, where do we find that in the text? Notice that verse five. And he said, This is Saul responding to the risen Christ.

And he said, Who are you, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goats. Now what Saul is, or the language that, or sorry, the Lord is using there is the goads were those rods used to move oxen or to move livestock to do what they're supposed to do, to plow or to do whatever particular agricultural skill they were put in the fields or put wherever to do.

If they weren't heeding the command of their master, you would kick them with the goads, or you would hit them with the goads, rather. These were things to prod along livestock so that they would, ignoring the heeding of the master, they would hear the heeding of a rod. to move them along. Well, Jesus uses this language here, and he says, it is hard for you to kick against the goads. Not only was Paul kicking against the goads, we could use or we could turn to Acts chapter seven, verse 51, to hear something of what this is.

Stephen indicting the unbelieving Jews, you stiff necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears. You always resist the Holy Spirit. That language of stiff-necked is like the ignorant oxen or the not listening horse who has a rigid neck and a rigid head. He's not turning, he's not obeying the movement of the reins, he's not obeying the master who is either behind, if it's an oxen trying to plow, or on top trying to ride the horse.

Stephen indicts them for being stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears and resisting the Holy Spirit. or being opposed to the message preached by a prophet or an apostle. Well, Saul was in that same particular condition. Saul was just like them. In fact, he was present there listening to Stephen say that.

No doubt a recipient of what Stephen was saying. You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears. And the Lord Jesus says, it is hard for you to kick against the goads. Well, It is hard for unbelievers to kick against the goads.

General and Special Revelation Against Unbelief

It is hard for unbelievers to suppress the truth in unrighteousness. Romans 1, verse 18, the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness. One man has said about Richard Dawkins, if you know who Richard Dawkins is, he's a venomous atheist. hates God, hates Christ, hates Christians, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate. He's very venomous against God and against Christian truth.

Well, one man has said of Richard Dawkins that it must be It must be like a full-time job for Richard Dawkins to suppress the truth in unrighteousness. To daily wake up every morning and to look upon the heavens, to look up at the firmament, to look up upon the stars, to look at creation, to look at the splendor of God's creation, and to daily suppress the truth in unrighteousness. It is hard for such a man to kick against the goads, to kick against the prodding, to kick against the rod of God's general revelation, not to mention God's special revelation. It is hard, Saul, for you to kick against the goads.

We think about unbelievers trying to demand of us to reveal evidence. trying to say, oh, where is the evidence of God? Where is the evidence? Well, look around. Look around.

That's the psalmist's answer. The heavens declare the glory of God. The firmament shows His handiwork. Day after day, utter speech.

Night after night, reveals knowledge. God's general revelation doesn't take a break. It doesn't go on holiday on Tuesdays and Fridays and Sundays. And then it's just Mondays and Wednesdays and Fridays.

And maybe I missed a day, Saturdays, where God's revelation is at work. No, day after day, utter speech, night after night reveals knowledge. There is nowhere where their voice is not heard. Revelation, general revelation, speaks to the unbeliever.

It is something that is like the rod prodding, beating against the oxen who is stiff-necked. So Jesus indicts Paul here. It's hard for you to kick against the goats. Why?

Because Paul has been a recipient of the message of Jesus Christ.

Saul's Exposure to the Truth

Paul was, of course, taught in the school of Gamaliel. He was a recipient of instruction in the word, in the law, in the things of Judaic religion. He would have been exposed, certainly, to the Old Testament, to be sure. He would have read Genesis 3.15.

He would have read Deuteronomy 18.18. He would have read 2 Samuel 7. He would have read Isaiah 53, Psalm 22, Micah 5.2, Isaiah 7.14, Isaiah 9.6, etc., etc. He would have known, or he should have known, that the Old Testament Scriptures spoke of the coming Christ. that he would one day come, that he would one day be put to death, that he would one day rise again three days later after that death, that he would one day ascend to the majesty on high and ever live to make intercession for his people.

He should have known that. He would have heard, he would have read, he would have studied the Old Testament. He would have heard Christian preaching. He did hear Christian preaching.

I've heard some men argue that he no doubt would have heard the earthly ministry, the earthly preaching of Jesus Christ. Some men have argued for that. We don't necessarily have a particular witness in the New Testament to the veracity of that. But he was he was a Jew and he was in Jerusalem and he certainly witnessed the execution and the murder of Stephen.

He certainly witnessed the stoning of Stephen and would have heard Stephen give a defense of Christianity. He would have listened to all of Acts chapter 6 verse 8 to Acts chapter 7 verse 59 or verse 60. He would have been there. He would have heard Stephen trace the history of the temple and the tabernacle and the temple, its fulfillment in Christ Jesus, the history of Israelite religion, its fulfillment in Christ.

He would have been there. He would have heard. He would have heard Stephen call out in glory and great joy, looking upon God and Jesus Christ standing at the right hand of the glory of God. He would have heard that, and nevertheless, he railed against it.

Nevertheless, he gave consent to the stoning of Stephen. Nevertheless, he went out and about wreaking havoc upon the church, entering every house, Acts 8, verse 3, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison. He would have heard Christian preaching time and time again. If his own witness, post-conversion, tells us anything, no doubt when these men and women were being dragged off to prison, when he threw them in prison, he would have heard them sing hymns.

He would have heard them praise Christ that they were being afflicted for his namesake. And so he, for Paul, for Saul, it was hard to kick against the goads. And Jesus identifies that. General revelation, special revelation, strike. very ominously and heavily against those who would reject their witness.

The Ultimate Recipient of Persecution

Thirdly, who is the ultimate recipient of persecution? It's obvious from the text and you've heard it before. Verse four of Acts chapter nine, then he, Paul, fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? And he said, Who are you, Lord?

Then the Lord said, I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. It is an affront to the living and true God. It is an affront to Christ when Christ's people are afflicted and persecuted by those who oppose the gospel and all things righteous. It is an affront to the living Christ.

So when we read those letters in the morning on Sunday mornings, when we read of our brethren writing about their trials, their persecutions, their afflictions, when we read of Eritrea, of India, of Pakistan, of China, of all those countries in Africa, of all of these places where the heat, wicked heat is being brought down upon our brothers and sisters in Christ, Those people who are bringing about the heat of persecution are sinning against the living Christ. They are persecuting Him. It is not that Jesus says you are persecuting my people, although of course that is true. You're persecuting me, Saul.

You're persecuting me. It is a direct attack upon me, upon my nature, upon my character, upon my love, upon my worth, when you afflict my people. And it's very interesting, we have the fact that Saul was afflicting the people of Christ. We have the fact that Saul was bringing persecution upon Christ's people and hence persecuting Christ.

And then at verse 16, we have this interesting truth. For I will show him, Jesus speaking of Saul, for I will show him how many things he must suffer for my name's sake. Now, this isn't some iron-fisted Christ wringing his hands and getting revenge. You'll all show him how much he's going to suffer for my namesake, that wretch.

No, this is Jesus Christ saying, this servant, my servant, once a murderer, once breathing threats against my people, will be a trophy of victorious and amazing grace. And he will go, therefore. And yes, suffer. But he will suffer propagating my precious truth.

And he will bring many to faith. in my name. The ultimate recipient of persecution is, yes, or a recipient of persecution is Christ's people, but the ultimate recipient is the risen, is the ascended Christ himself.

A Proper Response to Sinners Saved

Now, a proper response to sinners saved. A proper response to sinners saved after this fourth point, we will have some application, but notice a proper response to sinners saved. Look at a nice. This is a great lesson, brethren, and how to respond to sinners.

Very often when we hear of accounts, or if you have ever heard of an account of perhaps a death row inmate, or a murderer, or someone who has done according to crime, and according to the public eye, and according to humanity, and certainly according to God, grievous, grievous transgressions, very often when we hear of such men who are converted to Christ, we do that, or we get angry. We say, no, it can't be true. Yeah, maybe he's just trying to get out. He's trying to get the governor to make that phone call in the 11th hour.

No, don't do it. But brethren, we need to have the response of an Ananias. Notice beginning at verse 10. Now there was a certain man, a certain disciple rather, at Damascus named Ananias.

And to him the Lord said in a vision, Ananias, and he said, Here I am, Lord. So the Lord said to him, Arise and go to the street called Straight and inquire at the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus, for behold, he is praying. Now, just before we move on, as Ananias is receiving this and as Jesus gets to this point, as the Lord gets to this point, for one called Saul of Tarsus, search for him, for behold, he is praying. He's got to be perhaps in his heart.

I don't want to impugn anything to him, but he's starting to say, oh, wait a minute. Are you sure you got the right guy? Are you sure you got the right guy? The account continues.

And in a vision, he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him so that he might receive his sight. Now, notice here, we have Ananias now answering. And I don't believe Ananias is here answering in a way that is sinful, but just in a way that Christ's servants, maybe a lot of the time, respond to things that maybe they just can't believe, that they just can't immediately come to terms with. Are you sure?

I don't think Ananias is sinfully questioning or rebuking the Lord, but notice his response. Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem. And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name. So it's almost it's almost like it's almost like Ananias is maybe he's asking for some qualification, which the Lord Jesus Christ will give him.

But it's almost like he's saying, are you sure you got the right guy? Because this is what this Saul has done, Lord. This is what this Saul has done. He has excuse me.

He's done much harm to your saints and saints in Jerusalem. And he has sanctioned from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name. Sure, you have the right guy. And then notice the Lord Jesus Christ at verse 15.

But the Lord said to him, Go, for he is a chosen vessel of mine to bear my name before Gentiles, kings and the children of Israel. For I will show him how many things he must suffer for my name's sake. Now,

Ananias as Model of Gracious Welcome

Ananias, as the account continues, doesn't rebuke the Lord, doesn't rebel against the Lord, doesn't do what perhaps we might do. No way. It's wrong. It's not converted.

Are you talking about the same Saul that we know who breathes threats and murder against the way? Who drags men and women off to prison? Who gave the thumbs up to the brutal murder of Stephen by large stones being thrown upon his head? Are you serious?

Ananias doesn't do that. V. 17, And Ananias went his way and entered the house, and laying his hands on him, he said, Brother Saul, Brother Saul, what a glorious response. What an indicting response, brethren, because it does well up in us to have that sort of vindictive, that simple, vindictive response to those who in their former lives have done many a transgression and now are somehow converted to the religion of our same Lord Jesus Christ. How could it ever be?

Well, if we know our own hearts, If we know our own hearts, if we seriously peruse the diaries of our memories, then we will see that the witnesses of our guilt have faithfully written down their names upon it. If we survey our own hearts and we view and we look back upon our own lives, and if we know the scriptures that tell us, for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. given the fact that we are doing a survey of the Apostle Paul and his conversion, if we remember what the Apostle Paul says of himself. Yes, we hate those, or hatred will build up in ourselves. We will build up in ourselves that vindictive hatred sometimes for those, and rightfully so, of course, in cases where they have violated the law of God.

There is a righteous response to crime, a righteous response to sin, But I'm speaking about that sinful response, where we don't want to believe people are converted, where we don't want to believe that God could actually save such a wretch. But when those things rise up in us, we ought to consider the Apostle Paul who said, this is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world, sinners to save, he didn't stop there, of whom I am sheep. of whom I am chief. We speak glowingly of the Apostle Paul. If we do it rightly, if we do it properly, we don't look to Paul as we look to Christ.

We look to Paul as a trophy of his victor, the Lord Jesus Christ. A trophy of amazing and victorious grace. But we look to Paul with a measure of biblical esteem. He's the one who was such a great propagator of the Christian faith.

He wrote more than half of the New Testament corpus. The Apostle Paul, a prominent Christian. But if we are to put away with, if we are to do away with that vindictive hatred, if we are to do away with the sinful heart that would say, no, such a wretch can't be saved, we need to consider the fact that that Paul, trophy of God's victorious grace, was once Saul, one who breathed threats and murder and dragged men and women off to prison. And so that is a lesson.

Ananias, maybe seeking a qualification, says, Lord, I've heard much about this man. But then he says, he puts his hand on Saul and he says, Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit. And he stayed with him. The Apostle Paul stayed with them many days with the disciples at Damascus.

Application: Hope for the Unconverted

Now, what can we take from this? Well, we can take many things, but very briefly, hope for our loved ones, hope for our loved ones, hope for the unconverted. because this one who breathed threats, who was murderous, who consented to the death of men and women of Christ, was saved by God's grace. So let's have hope, let's pray for our loved ones, let's plead with the God of amazing and victorious grace, the God who saved Saul, that he would save our family members, our friends, our co-workers, men and women in government, whoever it may be, that God would, as Steve said earlier, bear his mighty arm of salvation, that they would hear our report, that they would look upon the mighty arm of the Lord God revealed and that they would bend in need, that they would look upon the stars, that they would look upon those things, that they would know that there is a king in high heaven and that he has given his Christ to die for sinners and to rise again. And our response to sin and sinners, our response to sin and sinners, we ought never to be shocked.

Especially given that account of Revelation chapter 16, we should never be shocked that people actually sin. We should never be shocked that children, that adults, that people of whatever age actually transgress God's law are actually venomous, are actually vile, are actually wretched. are actually going to do things that we don't like. They're going to step on our toes, to put it lightly. They're going to cross our paths and do us wrong.

We should never be surprised. We should deal with it righteously and biblically, knowing depravity. knowing what the Bible tells us with regards to sin, and we should seek the God of amazing grace, that He might conquer their hearts, turn them from disobedience to obedience, turn them from vileness to righteousness, turn them from venomous to speaking with a righteous tongue, that He might turn them, that He might rip out the heart of stone, because that is our conquering God. He doesn't ask. He pleads biblically, he pleads through his preachers, but when he comes in that day, he comes with divine force and he rips out the heart of stone, replaces it with the heart of flesh that beats for the risen Christ, that beats for the ascended Christ, that beats for the Christ, whoever lives to make intercession for us.

And everyone here, close with Christ, whether a believer, close with him, rejoicing in him, the Christ who approached, who conquered, Saul of Tarsus on this great day, who was very merciful and gracious to one who was persecuting him by virtue of the fact that he was persecuting his people. Rejoice in Christ and sinners believe in him. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved. The simplicity of the gospel message, not do, do, do, go, go, go, accomplish, accomplish, accomplish, come back in a year.

Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ now and you will be saved. Let's pray.

Closing Prayer

Father, we praise you and we thank you that we could gather together in this place. Lord God, we thank you for your holy word. We pray, God, that you would help us to consider your holy word revealed to us that daily, Lord God, we would think upon our crucified Christ, our risen Christ, our ascended Christ, and our Christ at his current session at your right hand where he ever lives to make intercession for his people. God, we just ask that you would help us to daily have high and heavy thoughts for such a Christ.

We pray, God, considering everything that we've heard today, everything, Lord God, that we've read in our own in our own closets, in our own homes, and God, that we would consider all of these things, that we would consider the gospel, the glorious gospel of you, our blessed God, and we would walk accordingly. Help us, Father, because it can be hard to walk, to walk daily, to keep ourselves in the love of Christ, knowing that it is Christ who is able to keep us from stumbling. Help us, Lord God, to walk. to daily carry along ourselves, to conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of your great gospel. Just go with each and every one of us now.

Rejoice. Help us, Lord God, to rejoice in Christ, to follow Him, to follow the Lamb wherever He goes. We just ask, Father, that You would be with all those who were not with us tonight. May this be true for them, Lord God, that they would conduct themselves likewise, following the Lamb wherever He goes, and bring us together again, be it Wednesday or be it next Lord's Day, for worship of our Triune God and for a study in your Holy Word.

We just ask now that you'd be with us and that you'd hear our prayers, knowing, Lord God, that you do answer them. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.

Scripture References

• Genesis 3:15
• Deuteronomy 18:18
• 2 Samuel 7
• Psalm 19:1; 22
• Isaiah 7:14; 9:6; 53
• Micah 5:2
• Acts 1:8; 6:8; 7:51; 7:59-60; 8:1; 8:3; 9:1-19; 16:31
• Romans 1:18; 3:23; 9:16
• Ephesians 1
• 1 Timothy 1:15
• Revelation 16:4; 16:8-9