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Well, you can turn with me to 
Acts chapter nine, as we continue to work our way through this 
book. Acts chapter nine, looking presently at the conversion of 
Saul of Tarsus. And our focus this morning will 
be on verses 17 to 25, but I'll pick up reading in verse 10. 
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 
a 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. Immediately he preached the Christ 
in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God. Then all who 
heard were amazed and said, Is this not He who destroyed those 
who called on this name in Jerusalem and has come here for that purpose, 
so that He might bring them bound to the chief priests? But Saul 
increased all the more in strength and confounded the Jews who dwelt 
in Damascus, proving that this Jesus is the Christ. Now, after 
many days were passed, the Jews plotted to kill him. But their 
plot became known to Saul, and they watched the gates day and 
night to kill him. Then the disciples took him by 
night and let him down through the wall in a large basket." 
Amen. Let us pray. Father, thank you 
for this written Word of God. Thank you for the reality that 
it's given by inspiration of the Holy Spirit. We pray that 
it would be profitable this morning for us, for doctrine, for reproof, 
for correction, and for instruction in righteousness. We do pray 
that we would stand amazed at the glorious conquest of this 
Saul of Tarsus and the reality that used him so mightily to 
advance the cause of Jesus Christ on this earth. Again, forgive 
us for our sins and our transgressions. Fill us with your Holy Spirit 
and guide us and lead us into all truth. And we pray these 
things through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Well, as we have 
had cause to reflect, the conquest of Saul of Tarsus on the road 
to Damascus was a great get for the Lord Jesus. Jesus doesn't 
need any particular individual, but the fact that he did save 
this man, that he turned him from the arch enemy of the church 
to the arch proponent of the Christian gospel, is truly an 
amazing ascription of the grace of God and the power of the Christian 
gospel. If you've ever thought you're 
too sinful to be saved, just read the story of Saul of Tarsus. 
If you think that you are too far gone to ever receive or benefit 
from the grace of God, read the story of Saul of Tarsus. If you've 
ever thought that you are beyond hope, read the story of Saul 
of Tarsus. Because here was a man that was 
armed with letters to go to the synagogues in Damascus to bind 
Christians, men and women, to take them back to Jerusalem so 
that they would be either punished or murdered, or taken off the 
face of the earth. And so what we find in the conversion 
of Saul of Tarsus is an absolutely wonderful display of God's glorious 
grace. Well, last time, or the last 
two times, we've seen his conversion. Last week we saw the instructions 
to Ananias. specifically the program or the 
mission for Paul. Notice in verses 15 and 16. 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. So Paul must preach, 
Paul must suffer. And interestingly, that's precisely 
what happens in the passage before us. So we wanna consider first 
the baptism of Saul of Tarsus in verses 17 and 19. And then 
secondly, the preaching of Saul of Tarsus in verses 20 to 25. But notice with reference to 
the baptism, Ananias and Saul meet up. Verse 17, Ananias went 
his way and entered the house and laying his hands on him, 
he said, brother Saul. Now I wonder for Ananias, if 
he woke up this morning thinking that this day would be the day 
that he addresses this Saul of Tarsus as brother. Grace made 
this archenemy a brother. Grace now made this man, of whom 
Ananias knew his reputation, knew that he went into Jerusalem, 
knew that he seized many, knew that he caused much harm. Did 
he ever think that morning he was going to address this archenemy 
as brother Saul. Grace is an amazing thing. It 
takes persons who at one time were at odds with one another 
and now brings them together in this filial relationship. 
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." So he lays 
hands on him, which is a signification of God's blessing, God's commendation, 
and then he informs him of Jesus' plan. It's almost as if Ananias 
doesn't want Saul of Tarsus to ever think that this was haphazard. 
Not that I think Saul of Tarsus would have, but this was not 
a haphazard. This wasn't a random meeting. 
This was orchestrated by the Lord Christ. This was orchestrated 
by the sovereign of the universe to bring these men together. 
He lays hands on him and he receives his sight. And then notice as 
well, he's equipped for the fulfillment of verses 15 and 16. It says, 
notice in the middle of verse 17, he has sent me that you may 
receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit. This would 
be crucial. Now, he'd be filled with the 
Holy Spirit when he receives Christ, when he believes the 
gospel, according to Ephesians 1, 12 to 14. We receive the Holy 
Spirit when we, by grace, believe the gospel. But he'd also need 
the power of the Holy Spirit to do what Christ has specified 
in verses 15 and 16. If Paul's going to preach to 
Gentiles, to kings, and to the children of Israel, and he's 
going to suffer countless things for the name of Jesus Christ, 
he needs supernatural assistance. He needs aid from on high. Brethren, 
I think at times we forget our absolute dependence upon the 
Holy Spirit. We start to fight the battles 
of God with carnal weaponry. Well, if we just know more, or 
we're just better, or we're just more thoughtful, I'm going to 
argue that we should know more. I'm going to argue that we should 
be better in terms of argument and rational presentation, because 
that's what Paul is about. But brethren, we need the Spirit. 
We can't come to church on Sunday and think we're going to worship 
God, and that the people of God are going to grow in the knowledge 
of the Lord, and that sinners are going to get saved apart 
from the Holy Spirit. The apostle teaches in Ephesians 
6, we don't wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, 
the powers of darkness. All these things are behind Planned 
Parenthood. They're behind debauched government. 
They're behind the sorts of wickedness that we confront. We'll understand 
in the spirituality of the battle, Why would we enter into it without 
having prayed, without having sought the Spirit, without having 
knowledge of God's Word? We can't fight a Goliath in the 
Valley of Elah using Saul's armor. We go in the strength and power 
of God Almighty. And so the Holy Spirit comes 
upon Saul of Tarsus here in a powerful way because he would need the 
Spirit To bear the name of Christ, he would need the spirit in order 
to suffer for the name of Christ. Now notice the baptism. Verse 
18 says, immediately there fell from his eyes something like 
scales. Now there's a lot of discussion 
as to what this is. Your guess is as good as mine. 
It's a tough one. These scales were on his eyes 
and they fell off. That much I can confidently tell you. He 
saw, he was for that period, three days of blindness. Now, 
I don't think it's all to be interpreted in a mystical sort 
of experiential way, but it certainly is representative of the life 
of Saul of Tarsus. He has been blinded now to what 
he once was. The light that he had before, 
this self-righteousness, this boastfulness, this pharisee-isa. This is nothing. This is rubbish. This is dung. And as he emerges 
now and is able to see, he is filled with the knowledge of 
Jesus Christ the Lord. It is symbolic of the trajectory 
of his own spiritual life, but it is intriguing as to what he 
does. He receives his sight at once, and he arose and was baptized. He was baptized. Notice again 
the conspicuous pattern. Conversion to Christ, then baptism 
in the name of Christ. Baptism is not a converting ordinance. Baptism is rather something done 
by somebody who has been saved by God's grace. So faith, belief 
on the Lord Jesus Christ, repentance unto life, knowing what it is 
to be saved, and then baptism. And interestingly, when Paul 
is rehearsing this in Acts chapter 22, he mentions that Ananias 
says, arise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling 
on the name of the Lord. And we don't believe that that 
water washes away sin. We believe that's solely and 
alone the blood of Jesus Christ. That's what washes us from sin, 
but it's symbolized in the water. It's symbolized in the whole 
process. It is an evident outward display 
of what God the Lord does internally. And so no one should ever get 
baptized except for those who have been forgiven of their sins, 
those who have believed the gospel, those who have received the righteousness. 
But having done that, having been born again, having believed 
the truth of the gospel, it's imperative that persons do get 
baptized. to identify with the triune God, 
to give him the glory that is due his name. We talked in the 
last hour about those sorts of persons that never really know 
if they're saved or not. If you believe the gospel, the 
Bible tells you you're saved. You should give glory to God 
for that. Now, I'm talking genuine saving 
faith. I'm not talking about the sort 
of thing that just nods at Jesus and somehow thinks everything 
is hunky-dory. You know me better than that. But genuine saving 
faith. The Bible specifies those who 
believe on the Lord Jesus Christ are saved. Therefore, get baptized. Therefore, give him glory. Give 
him honor. Give him praise. He shall see 
the travail of his soul and be what? Satisfied. Except for that 
handful of people that are in this sort of place, this sort 
of no man's land, where they're not really in, but they're not 
really out. Well, if you've believed you're in, and you need to confess 
that, and you need to show forth the glory of God Almighty in 
the salvation of your hell-deserving soul. Do you understand what 
happens when God actually saves us? We go from darkness into 
light. We go from that place of abject 
misery to that place of total blessing. Why wouldn't we be 
happy? Why wouldn't we want to be baptized? 
Why wouldn't we want to give all praise and glory to God? 
If somebody does a good turn to you, you like to tell others 
about it. Wow, that guy, he's a really 
wonderful person. I broke down on the side of the 
road and he stopped and he helped me and all this stuff. If Jesus 
has saved you, you should be about telling it. We should be 
like we just sang. I'm not ashamed to own my Lord. 
We'll have to be like the Apostle Paul in Romans 1. I'm not ashamed 
of the gospel, for it is the power of God unto salvation for 
everyone who believes. We'll notice that in Saul of 
Tarsus' life. What does he do according to 
verse 20? Immediately he preached Christ. Immediately, he preached 
Christ. It's a wonderful testimony to 
God's grace in this man's life. But notice, verse 19 tells us, 
when he had received food, he was strengthened. This is inevitable. You're three days without food. 
You eat, you're going to be strengthened. That's a natural effect of what 
he had gone through. But as well, He's strengthened 
in the Spirit. His graces are strengthened. 
His understanding is strengthened. He's going forward in the fear 
of the Lord God Most High. But the end of verse 19 is quite 
beautiful. It says, Then Saul spent some 
days with the disciples at Damascus. We know what his purpose was 
for those disciples at Damascus. We know that prior to meeting 
Jesus on the road to Damascus, he was gonna go bind them. He 
was gonna go arrest them. He was going to go and strip 
their liberty from them. He was gonna put them in some 
sort of shackles and take them back to Jerusalem where they 
could be further punished. And now he spends time with them. You see the blood bought people 
of God like other blood bought people of God. They do. They like them. They wanna be 
around them. There's this love and abiding 
desire to be among the blood bond. That doesn't mean we're 
all gonna be BFFs. It doesn't mean we're all gonna 
be everybody's bestest friends, but we enjoy the company of those 
who have the same orientation. We enjoy the company of those 
who have been conquered by the same blood. We enjoy the company 
of those who've been saved by grace through faith. In fact, 
Matthew Poole makes the observation, Saul is no sooner changed, but 
he changes his company and acquaintance. He resorts to none of the rabbis 
of the Jews, but to the disciples of Christ. He would love any, 
learn of any that had Christ for their master. And that's 
one of the emphases throughout the book of Acts. It's a very 
pro-church book. It is very much an emphasis on 
the place of the church in God's redemptive plan. The fact that 
Saul of Tarsus is meeting with Ananias. Of course Jesus could 
have just caused the scales to fall from his eyes. Of course 
Jesus could have just caused him to be strengthened. But he 
uses Ananias, he uses the company of the saints, he uses the people 
of God to stress to this man that will later write letters 
to the churches just how important the people of God as a whole 
are. So that's the baptism of Saul. Let's look secondly at 
the preaching of Saul. And I want to give us a bit of 
chronology here because if we compare Acts 9 to Galatians 1, 
we may run up to a little bit of a puzzle. So I'm going to 
tell you how I'm going to proceed in Acts chapter 9. In Galatians 
1.17, Paul writes in terms of his proof that he wasn't taught 
the gospel by the disciples. He wasn't taught the gospel by 
the apostles. Rather, he was taught by Jesus. 
One of the things he says in Galatians 1.17, he says that 
he went to Arabia and returned again to Damascus. Now, in verses 
20 and following, we have Saul in Damascus. I take verses 20 
to 22 as a brief visit to Damascus before he goes to Arabia. He's 
then in Arabia for three years, and then he comes back to Damascus. 
So verses 20 to 22 happens immediately after he's converted. He's in 
the city of Damascus. He's at the house of Judas on 
that street called Straight. This is where Ananias has met 
with him. And so he's in Damascus now, 
and he immediately preaches verses 20 to 22. Then there is this 
three-year hiatus when he goes to Arabia, and that should be 
seen to separate verses 22 and 23. So after that three years 
in Arabia, he comes back to Damascus. He's not long in the city until 
he's essentially chased out. And that's when he makes his 
first post-conversion visit to Jerusalem, which is what goes 
on in verses 26 and following. Now that you're all thoroughly 
confused, all I want us to appreciate is something about the preaching 
of Saul. Actually, I don't think that was confusing. If you read 
Galatians 1, you compare it, I think it makes sense. He goes 
immediately to these synagogues, and then he leaves. He goes to 
Arabia for three years. Well, what did he do in Arabia? 
Well, the only Saul of Tarsus, he preached the gospel. Some 
say, well, that's where he was taught by Christ. I'm going to 
argue he was taught by Christ in those three days. He already 
knew about Christ. He just missed one fundamental 
ingredient, and that was Christ. Funny, isn't it? He knew the 
Old Testament. He knew the testimony concerning 
Jesus, but he didn't know that Jesus was who the Old Testament 
prophesied. So for that three days, I think 
that was the lesson. Jesus told Paul, I'm the one 
that Isaiah wrote about. I'm the one that Moses wrote 
about. I'm the one that the sacrificial 
system pointed to. I'm the one that will bring salvation. I'm the one that has orchestrated 
this. So the three years where he's 
in Arabia, was he there for quiet contemplation and meditation? 
No, he was probably preaching. He was bringing it. That's what 
preachers do. They go and they preach. And 
that's what Saul of Tarsus was called to do. So I want to consider 
three things with reference to the preaching of Saul of Tarsus. 
First, the immediacy of his preaching. Second, the effects of his preaching. 
And then finally, the hostility toward his preaching. But in 
terms of the immediacy, in verses 11 and 12 in Galatians 1, Saul, or Paul, says, I make known 
to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not 
according to man. For I neither received it from 
man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation 
of Jesus Christ. It was absolutely crucial, in 
order to be counted as an apostle, that one had seen the resurrected 
Christ. Now Saul of Tarsus said he had 
seen the resurrected Christ. And the fact that Saul of Tarsus 
had this great understanding of the Christian gospel confirmed 
that he had seen Christ, confirmed that he had been taught by Christ, 
that he didn't get it from James, he didn't get it from Peter, 
he didn't get it from the rest of the apostles. Rather, he was 
directly taught by Jesus. Now, I think Machen describes 
what I tried to a moment ago in much better language. He says, 
what Jesus really gave Saul near Damascus was not so much the 
facts as a new interpretation of the facts. See, this is the 
crucial key, the crucial piece of the biblical pie that Saul 
didn't have. Of course he knew to look for 
a Messiah. Of course he knew to look for 
a champion. Of course he knew to look for the Lord our righteousness. 
Of course he knew the suffering servant passages. But he didn't 
associate those realities in the Old Testament with Jesus 
of Nazareth. As far as he was concerned, Jesus 
of Nazareth was probably a political hack. Jesus of Nazareth was probably 
just another fellow that came along that tried to be something 
great. Saul of Tarsus never associated Jesus of Nazareth with the truth 
of Holy Scripture. It was this that was being provided 
for him in this instruction by Jesus. He goes on to say, Saul 
had known some of the facts before, but they had filled him with 
hatred. Think about this. Why do you think he wanted to 
destroy Christians? Why he wanted to bind men and 
women? Why he wanted to see them punished further in Jerusalem? 
You don't do that unless you hate something, right? You do 
that because you hate it, because you hate the founder, you hate 
the master. He couldn't get to Jesus of Nazareth, 
but he could certainly get to these unaware people in the synagogues 
in Damascus. He knew some of the facts, but 
he hated it. He goes on to say, the Galilean 
prophet had cast despite upon the law. He had broken down the 
prerogatives of Israel. It was blasphemous moreover to 
proclaim a crucified malefactor as the Lord's anointed. I think 
Manchin gets at what Saul is thinking. Why in the world would 
I worship this crucified malefactor? How in the world could we ever 
think that this is Israel's Messiah? How in the world could we accept 
him as being the one of whom the prophets wrote and testified? 
I think Machen's on the right track here. He says, Paul had 
known the facts before. He had known them only too well. 
Now, however, he obtained a new interpretation of the facts. 
He obtained that new interpretation not by human intermediation, 
not by reflection upon the testimony of the disciples, not by the 
example of the holy martyrs, but by revelation from Jesus 
himself. So he gets this, he understands 
now, that's why immediately he can preach the gospel. See, for 
the most part, new converts, I wouldn't encourage you to go 
and immediately preach. Maybe you could call me a harsh 
meanie, but I actually think you shouldn't do that. Certainly 
testify, the Lord saved me, I was blind, now I see. But to get 
up in front of persons and preach the Bible, I would never say, 
go ahead and do that. But Saul of Tarsus knew the Bible. Saul of Tarsus knew the facts. 
Saul of Tarsus at one time was filled with rage because of those 
facts. But now this direct confrontation 
by Jesus Christ, where Jesus says, I am the one that synthesizes 
these facts. He is the new interpretation 
on the set of facts that Saul had. Everything made sense now. Yes, the scales fell, as it were, 
from his eyes. Yes, things all looked bright 
and beautiful now. Yes, he saw that Christ was, 
as the Puritans tell us, the scope of Scripture, that all 
biblical roads lead to Jesus in one form or another. Saul 
now knew this, and Saul then preaches. And notice what he 
does according to verse 20, immediately preach the Christ in the synagogues 
that he is the son of God. You see, this Trinitarian faith, 
this understanding Jesus, not as just a super person, but as 
a divine person. This Jesus as the son of God, 
this Jesus as God himself. He preaches this in the synagogues 
because this was the stumbling block for the Jews. You see it 
in Jesus' earthly ministry. They got mad at him. Why? Because 
he made himself equal with God. They didn't see that. They had 
the blinders on. They were not able to appreciate 
that Jesus Christ is in fact the second person of the Trinity, 
that he took on our humanity, that he became one of us, without 
sin, in order to redeem us. Now, Saul of Tarsus goes into 
synagogues that are opposed to the doctrine that Jesus Christ 
is the Son of God, and Saul preaches that Jesus is the Son of God. 
So I don't think we really reflect upon how fundamental a confession 
of faith that is. We take it for granted because 
we're brought up Christian. We're brought up learning the 
Nicene Creed, Parents, teach your kids those creeds, teach 
them the confessions, teach them good Christology. But we become 
sort of immune to the reality that we were brought up with 
these benefits and blessings, and that we assume that Jesus 
is the Son of God. Do you know what that means for 
Jesus to be the Son of God? That means He's unique. That 
means He is God and man. That means He's two natures, 
one person. That means He's glorious. That 
means He's from everlasting to everlasting. That means He is 
everything scripture says concerning Him. As John Gill says, the reality 
that Jesus Christ was the only begotten of the Father, the eternal 
Son of God, truly and properly God, of the same nature and essence 
with God his Father, and equal to him. He preached that Jesus 
of Nazareth, the true Messiah, was not a mere man, but a divine 
person, even the Son of God. You might just look at verse 
20 for a moment and say, well, you know, that's not a whole 
lot. You know, he preached to Christ in the synagogues that he is 
the son of God. I don't think that means he stood 
behind the lectern or wherever he was at the synagogues. Jesus 
is the Christ. He is the son of God. Amen. He 
explained what that meant. He explained the significance. 
He explained how the second person of the Trinity left heaven to 
come into our world, to take on our humanity with all the 
essential properties and all the common infirmities thereof, 
yet without sin. He was a man of sorrows and acquainted 
with grief. He was the darling of heaven. 
And nevertheless, he left that to come into this cesspool on 
a mission of recovery for the persons of the likes of us. He 
explained the significance behind the reality that Christ is the 
Son of God. Now notice the effects of his 
preaching in verses 21 and 22. The people were amazed. And again, 
I don't think this is difficult. Verse 21 is one of those passages. 
You don't need a rocket science degree to figure it out. Then 
all who heard were amazed and said, is this not he who destroyed 
those who called on the name in Jerusalem and has come here 
for that purpose so that he might bring them bound to the chief 
priests? It's just incredible, isn't it? He was coming here 
with letters to take us away. And now he's up there preaching 
Jesus Christ as the son of God to us. I guarantee you, brethren, 
in that meeting service, people were saying, God is amazing. 
God is glorious. This fellow came here with the 
expressed purpose and intention of taking us to Jerusalem. We're 
talking 135 miles. This isn't, you know, buses and 
trains and planes and all that sort of thing. I mean, you know, 
you ever lost your wallet? It's not, wow, I've lost a billion 
dollars. You've gained a hassle. You've got to replace your ID 
card. You've got to replace your license. You've got to do all 
that stuff. Even if they went to Jerusalem 
and were found not guilty, 135 miles is 135 miles of hassle. He had come to not only hassle, 
but to bind them and to bring them to Jerusalem so that they 
would be punished. And yet here he is standing before 
them, preaching Jesus as the Christ, the son of God, making 
connections in Old Testament scripture that they themselves 
perhaps had never made. Because again, he was a trained 
rabbi. He knew the scriptures. He knew 
the connections, but he didn't know the connection. And now 
he has it. So they are amazed. F.F. Bruce 
says, Instead of presenting his letters of credence and demanding 
the extradition of the disciples of Jesus, he appeared as the 
bearer of a very different commission, issued by a higher authority 
than the high priests, and as a disciple and messenger of Jesus, 
he announced his master's claims. No wonder that his hearers were 
amazed by the change that had come over him. They were amazed. It would have been incredible 
to take the arch enemy of your religious faith and now to sit 
under his preaching. You would conclude that God's 
grace is amazing. You would conclude that God is 
able to save to the uttermost all who draw nigh unto him through 
Jesus Christ the Lord. You'd have no problem whatsoever 
believing the power of the Christian gospel when Saul of Tarsus stood 
before you in a Jewish synagogue and preached to you Jesus as 
the Christ the Son of God. It's an amazing and a glorious 
thing. Now, notice what else happens. 
The people are amazed. Saul increased all the more in 
strength. Verse 22. I don't think that 
means that he was on a high-protein diet now, protein and fats, keto 
diet. There weren't any carbs in his 
life, and he was just feeling good, feeling the pump. That's 
not what it means. He's strengthened spiritually. 
He's strengthened in terms of his understanding of who God 
is and the mission of Jesus Christ. He's strengthened as his graces 
and gifts are being opposed. He is strengthened because he's 
God's man for God's hour. He's strengthened because he 
has a lot of work ahead of him. Brethren, I don't think I have 
the mathematic capabilities to successfully explain the miles 
that this man traversed. the lengths that he went to, 
the difficulties that he encountered. The first plot of the Jews is 
already hatched here. He's just been converted. And 
then he's three years in Arabia, he comes back and they want to 
kill him. This is something he has to continuously 
face. So he's strengthened in his graces, 
he's strengthened spiritually. J. A. Alexander says he increased 
not only in the strength of his convictions, but in the force 
of his defense and in the power of his persuasion. That brings 
us to consider the rest of verse 22. So the crowds are amazed, 
but the Jews are refuted. Notice in verse 22b, and confounded 
the Jews who dwelt in Damascus, proving that this Jesus is the 
Christ. The Jews obviously opposed Jesus. The Jews obviously rejected the 
messianic claims of Jesus. And now Saul of Tarsus has been 
conquered by Jesus. And Saul of Tarsus is confounding 
them in their inability to be able to destroy the truth of 
what he is saying. The word is quite intriguing. 
Barrett, I think, kind of gets at it well. He says, the Jews 
who argued with Paul found themselves unable to establish their position. 
He tied them in knots. That word, that confounded, that's 
kind of what it means. He tied them in knots. Have you 
ever been in an argument with somebody and you're winning? 
Might happen with you spouses, and you know when you're losing 
too. Make sure I qualify that. You know when you're winning, 
but boy, you know when you're losing. It's a last ditch attempt 
to just try to maintain some dignity. But you know when you're 
winning, don't you? I've heard it from you brethren. 
One of the greatest joys I have is when brethren in our church 
say, oh, I got to share the gospel this week at work. I got to testify. 
That's great. I'm not where everybody is. The 
whole hope is that everybody here gets equipped, they understand 
who Jesus is, and then wherever you find yourself, you're not 
ashamed to own the Lord and to testify to the glory of God. 
But you've known this. I didn't know where it came from. 
I just had this fluidity of speech. I was remembering texts. I was 
applying it. And when you say that, it's not 
proud. I'm just this great guy. No, it's like, it was really 
amazing. It was almost as if God took over. Yeah, it's exactly 
what it's like. God takes over. He uses the Holy 
Spirit. He speaks through you so that you can tell people about 
the glory of Jesus. It's not mysticism. It's not 
experientialism. It's not charismaticism. It is 
God working with conquered sinners to testify to the truth that 
Jesus conquers sinners. But it's a beautiful thing, and 
you know when you've won. You know when you've confounded. 
That's what's happening in this particular instance. He confounded 
the Jews who dwelt in Damascus. Now, notice what it goes on to 
say, proving that this Jesus is the Christ. The apostle proved 
that Jesus is the Christ and the Son of God, according to 
verse 20. That's imperative that we get this, because I'm gonna 
argue as we move through the book of Acts, much of the apostolic 
preaching is not what we're witnessing today. It's not a proving that 
Jesus is the Christ, it's an experience. It's a feeling. It's a warmth in my bosom akin 
to Mormonism. That's not what brings sinners 
into the kingdom of heaven. It ain't my experience. It ain't 
my burning bosom. It's the clarity of the gospel 
of Jesus Christ our Lord. It's the Holy Spirit working 
faith in a sinner to believe propositional revelation, the 
propositions of the Bible. Christ Jesus came into the world, 
sinners to save. Believe that. We need to prove, 
we need to demonstrate, we need to argue, we need to preach persuasively. I think two of the biggest problems 
facing us in North America today are boring preaching and a preaching 
that is unpersuasive. No one should preach boring sermons. The Bible is the most exciting 
book in the world. If persons are falling asleep, 
I don't blame those persons, I blame the bad preacher. But 
it should be persuasive. You get the chatty pastor with 
the hand in the pocket and the gum in the mouth and the latte 
on his desk, kind of talking in these civil talk. There's 
no civility here. You need to believe the gospel 
or you will go to hell. That's the reality of it. Knowing, 
therefore, the terror of the Lord. The Apostle Paul says, 
we persuade men. Life is too short. Hell is too 
real. And God is too angry with sinners 
each and every day for us to try and have chats. You need 
to be persuaded. You need to have it proved to 
you. You need to go to scriptures. You need to be taught what God's 
word says concerning these crucial areas. I love this testimony 
to the preaching of the apostle. He confounded the Jews who dwelt 
in Damascus. He literally tied them in knots 
and he proved that this Jesus is the Christ. He didn't do that 
with flannel graphs. He didn't do that with pictures. 
He did it with preaching. He did it with Isaiah. He did 
it with Jeremiah. He did it with Daniel. He did 
it with Moses. He did it with Stephen's testimony. He did it with the data that 
was given to him. And he told man that this Jesus 
is the Christ, this Jesus is the Son of God. Again, Bruce 
commenting on the second verb. The verb rendered prove means 
literally placing together. Here placing the Old Testament 
promises alongside their fulfillment and hence proving that Jesus 
was the one to whom they appointed. He says, this was the method 
of argument regularly employed according to Luke by Paul, Apollos 
and others in the synagogues around the Eastern Mediterranean. 
And he cites several places in the book of Acts. Not today. You got the guy with the biggest 
stage presentation, the guy with the strangest entrance, the guy 
with the best anecdotes, the guy with the best stories, the 
guy with the best family, the guy with the best everything. 
We need men to preach the word of God. That's what we need. 
We need men to prove that Jesus is the Christ. We need men to 
tie in knots any detractors or any opposers or anybody that 
would try to refute the reality that Jesus Christ is, in fact, 
the Son of God. Read the early church fathers. 
You know how many of their treatises were against the Jews? Why was 
that? Anti-Semites is what we hear 
today. No, they weren't. They were pro-Christ and they 
wanted to tell Jews who are living in a miserable condition in rejecting 
Jesus the Messiah. They wanted to convince the Jews 
that Jesus was the Messiah. I mean, imagine that. What do 
you think Saul's doing in these synagogues in Damascus? He's 
not in there, you know, God loves you and has a wonderful plan 
for your life, and you're gonna have everything hunky-dory, you 
come to Jesus and all your cares will melt away. That's not what 
he's doing. He's proving that Jesus is the Christ. Why? Because 
unless you believe that I am, Jesus Christ says in John 8, 
24, unless you believe that I am, you will die in your sins. As I've said, we differ on things. 
We differ probably on eschatology. We differ probably on ethics 
in some areas. We differ on a whole host of 
things. But I think all of us are agreed that Jesus is the 
Christ, the son of the living God. If we're not, we're not 
saved. And if you do not believe that, 
you need to believe that. That is absolutely crucial truth. And that's what Saul of Tarsus 
brought. And of course, notice the hostility 
toward his preaching. So there at the end of verse 
22, he leaves. He goes to Arabia. He spends three years in Arabia. Now, if somebody says, well, 
why didn't Luke record that? Luke's focus is on theological 
history and specifically church history. It wasn't necessary 
for Luke's narrative to conclude or to include the three years 
that Paul spent in Arabia. Not everything that is ever done 
is included in the pages of Scripture. Doesn't John the Apostle sign 
off John 21 that way? You know, Jesus did so many more 
things that if I wrote about everything, then I don't think 
the world itself can contain the books. Well, Paul was probably 
a character like that as well. But if you ask the simple question, 
what did he do in Arabia? I argue he preached. I don't 
think it was there for quiet contemplation and meditation. 
He got that in the three days. He got that when Jesus told him 
that Jesus was the key to the Bible. He got that, the scales 
fell, he's strengthened, he's bringing it, he's preaching, 
he's confounding, and he's proving that this Jesus is the Christ. 
So three years goes by, he goes to Arabia, he eats, he lives, 
he drinks, he has friends, he ministers. Now he comes back 
to Damascus, and we see the initial hostility of the Jews directed 
toward him. Verse 23 says, now after many 
days were passed, the Jews plotted to kill him. He had been one 
of those Jews, hadn't he? Again, this would have been a 
time to just reflect sort of on the providence of God. Ananias 
woke up that morning, never thinking he'd call Saul brother. Well, 
Saul the apostle, or Saul of Tarsus rather, never saw himself 
as being a preacher of Jesus Christ in synagogues to the chagrin 
of Jews that ultimately wanted to kill him. They're plotting 
to kill him. That's what the text specifies. 
They plotted to kill Jesus, and they were ultimately successful. 
If you ask the question, were they ultimately successful with 
Saul of Tarsus? Yes, they were. It wouldn't happen 
immediately, but it would happen. We find Paul's end in 2 Timothy. That's the last letter that Paul 
wrote in terms of his corpus, his body of writings. And he 
knows he's gonna die. That's when he gives that great 
statement. You know, my time, I fought the good fight. I have 
kept, finished the race. I've kept the faith. There's 
a crown laid up for me. He knows he's gonna die. He's 
in a prison cell in Rome at that particular time. History tells 
us that it was Nero, Caesar that ultimately gave the kill order 
and that Saul, Paul had his head chopped off. So ultimately, they 
were successful. They plotted, but several years 
passed, thankfully, for him to do a whole lot of good stuff. 
But here they plot to kill him. The first of several plots by 
the Jews against Paul. So we always think it's the civil 
authority that's out to stop Christianity. In this instance, 
it was religious authority. It was the religion of the Jews. 
It was the unbelievers. It was those who rejected the 
claims of Jesus Christ as Messiah. They were the first enemy of 
the church. The Roman Empire got on board eventually, but 
initially they weren't so bothered with Christianity. But it was 
the unbelieving Jews that brought persecution. You see these plots, 
not just here, but you see it in Acts 20. See it in Acts 23, 
Acts 23 again, Acts 25. And the irony of the situation 
ought not to be lost on us. Saul of Tarsus had been breathing 
out threats and murder against the disciples of Christ. And 
now he, as a disciple of Christ, is facing the threats and murder 
of these enemies, the Jews. Isn't that just amazing? You 
look at God's world and Providence just is delightful. It's delicious. It's amazing and incredible. 
The way that God does what he does. As I mentioned before, 
Saul will go to Rome, but it won't be on a luxury cruise. 
Paul will end up before Caesar, but it won't be on a jet plane. 
Paul will even leave Damascus, but it won't be on one of his 
three planes. It'll be in a basket, lowered down over the wall. It shows us how God is exciting 
and why preaching should never be boring. I mean, if you ever 
thought preaching should be boring, read the book of Judges sometime. 
I mean, how could you be bored reading Judges? Judges is like, 
you know, the best piece of literature on the face of the earth. I'm 
biased here, I love that book. There's just great stuff. I mean, 
Eglon and Samson and Gideon's just reading Judges in my private 
time now, so it's kind of fresh in my head. But you see, the 
Bible is delightful because God is. And God didn't make everything 
to taste like broccoli. He gave us mangoes and avocados, 
and He gave us steak and crab. He gave us good things to sort 
of make this life beautiful. He didn't just make everything 
green. I mean, as nice as green is, you get green, you get blue, 
you get beauty. God is delightful, brethren. 
This idea that God's just as miser and he's up there trying 
to get us, he gives profusely. Do you ever just look out a day 
like this and just say, wow, I can't believe how gorgeous 
this is. And you think about the soldier that said, heavens 
declare the glory of God. You say, oh yeah, obviously it's 
clear, it's plain, it's so beautiful. Well, he works providentially 
that way as well. Think of the irony. Saul of Tarsus 
breathed out threats and murder against the disciples of Christ. 
Saul of Tarsus is now a disciple of Christ facing the same threats 
and murder of these Jews that want to liquidate him. I find 
it intriguing. Notice he's aware of this. I 
don't know that it had to have come by special revelation. It 
certainly could have, but he could have seen it for himself 
or he could have had friends who told him. Notice in verse 
24, but their plot became known to Saul And they watch the gates 
day and night to kill him. Don't miss that. This isn't, 
you know, an intramural debate on the place of Jesus in redemptive 
history. This is something that makes 
men want to kill other men. It's intriguing that, you know, 
with reference to religious convictions and faith and belief and all 
that, we're ready to spill blood over that. We shouldn't be. Christ has never told us to go 
out and spill blood in order to to advance or progress the 
kingdom of God. No, we do it through idea, we 
do it through doctrine, we do it through persuasive preaching. 
And that's the emphasis that we find. But in terms of the 
detractors, they want to kill him. And then notice the assistance 
of the disciples, verse 25. Then the disciples took him by 
night and let him down through the wall in a large basket. Again, 
just think about that for a moment. That would be a bit of an undignified 
way to leave the city, wouldn't it? I've got my pride. Get in 
the basket and go down the wall. I doubt he said, I got my pride. 
This shows us that at times it's okay to run too, doesn't it? 
Oh, you gotta stand there and take the gun for Jesus. No, you 
can run. Just don't deny your faith. Doesn't 
Jesus teach this in Matthew chapter 10? When they persecute you in 
one city, go to the next. Now, obviously we need to be 
willing to die for our faith in Jesus. I'm not suggesting 
otherwise, but if he provides an exit door, go ahead, take 
it. Well, I have to die for Jesus. 
No, you can move from that bludgeon. You can get out of the way. You 
can run to the next city, that's not dishonoring. To deny the 
Savior is the dishonor. To not overcome is the dishonor. But to live to fight another 
day, the Lord God Most High is okay with that. And we have evidence, 
we have testimony, and we have proof in the Apostle Paul going 
out of the city of Damascus in a large basket. Now he refers 
to this himself in 2 Corinthians 11. You can turn there. 2 Corinthians 
chapter 11. So you see how the plan or the 
mission for Saul of Tarsus, as specified in Acts 9, 15 and 16, 
that he'd preach and that he'd suffer, has already started to 
be fulfilled. Immediately he preached Christ, 
and immediately he is being persecuted. Immediately he is suffering. 
Immediately, he is having to leave the city in a way that 
he probably never wanted to. In 2 Corinthians 11, verse 30, 
if I must boast, I will boast in the things which concern my 
infirmity. The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who 
is blessed forever, knows that I'm not lying. In Damascus, the 
governor under Eretus the king. Now this is very helpful information 
because Eretus the king died in AD 39. which helps us to understand 
that probably Acts 9, 1 to 26, takes place from AD 36 to AD 
39. Christ is crucified, resurrected, 
and ascended in AD 33. You can see we're not living 
far off from the time of the life and ministry of Jesus. We're 
not dealing with, you know, millennia in the book of Acts. We're dealing 
with the first 20 or 30 years of the history of the church. 
So, Eratosthes dies in AD 39. So the events of Acts 9, the 
conversion of Saul of Tarsus, this event with Ananias, the 
first preaching in Damascus, the three years going to Arabia, 
takes place in 36 to 39-ish. It helps us to keep our mindset 
in the chronology of Scripture and to realize it's not mythical. It's not a land far, far away. 
It's not at some undefined point in time. It's real, it's historic, 
it's legit. There really was an Eretus, who 
was the king, over the city of Damascus. Now, when Paul here 
says that the king was guarding the city of the Damascenes with 
a garrison, desiring to arrest me, some say, well, you know, 
in Acts 9, it's the Jews, and here it's Eretus and his men. 
Eretus and his men have a vested interest in quelling social unrest. 
Just like Pilate, when Pilate is confronted with the reality 
that the Jews want to execute Jesus, Pilate knows the political 
risk involved. Pilate knows that if he gives 
the kill order on this very controversial fellow, there will be some unrest. Well, Eretz is probably at the 
bidding of the Jews, or at least the commander of the troops at 
the bidding of the Jews said, well, we'll watch the gates. 
We'll watch the walls. We'll make sure that this guy 
doesn't escape. We'll make sure that you Jews 
can have him and that you can ultimately kill him. So when 
he says that this is the way, he's not contradicting what Luke 
says. See, this is, you've heard that, right? Oh yeah, there's 
contradictions all over the Bible. Like that? You're gonna have 
to do better than that. You're going to have to pony 
up a lot more proof than that. You can't think, see, or rationalize 
how you could have a group of Jews and a particular magistrate 
that work in concert to try and liquidate Saul. Yeah, it's easy. We see that kind of thing happen 
all the time. You certainly see it in the life and ministry of 
our Lord Jesus Christ. And then verse 33, but I was 
let down in a basket through a window in the wall and escaped 
from his hands. So you see, in terms of the mission. 
The Apostle Paul would in fact preach, which he does, and the 
Apostle Paul would in fact suffer, which he does. Now, obviously 
this ain't too bad, leaving a city through a wall and in a big basket. But we read last week in 2 Corinthians 
11, other sorts of things that he suffered for the cause of 
Jesus Christ. And it was horrific, it was horrendous. And certainly Christ was accurate 
when he said, I will show him how many things he must suffer 
for my namesake. Well, brethren, in conclusion, 
we ought to remind ourselves of the mission of the apostle 
Paul. He's gonna fade a little bit in the end of chapter nine, 
chapter 10, chapter 11 and 12, but he'll come back with great 
power in chapter 13 to chapter 28. In fact, the latter half 
of the book of Acts is pretty much focused on the apostle Paul. 
Up until this point, you've got Peter primarily, you've got other 
apostles, but when we get to Acts 13, the trajectory changes 
and now the gospel goes to the ends of the earth. And so it 
is Paul's career that Luke focuses on as he goes from place to place 
preaching the gospel. In terms, secondly, of the preaching 
of the apostle Paul, I wanna suggest in the first place, he 
preached immediately. Again, he was uniquely qualified 
to do that. I don't even think everybody 
fresh out of the womb of conversion or fresh out of the womb of regeneration 
should go door-to-door. Because people are going to hit 
you with questions or with complaints or with sorts of things that 
you may not be ready for. You need to learn, you need to 
understand, you need to have some appreciation of the Christian 
system of truth before you go out and preach it and defend 
it. because if you do not, you're gonna be had, you're gonna be 
bested, and that's not good. You don't wanna be the one tied 
in knots. You don't wanna be the one confounded. 
I would suggest secondly, he preached Christocentrically. 
That means Christ-centered. It wasn't Paul-centered. It wasn't 
story-centered. It wasn't experience-centered. 
It wasn't feeling-centered. It was Christ-centered. What 
does he do? He preached the Christ in the synagogues that he is 
the Son of God. And then, verse 22, confounded 
the Jews who dwelt in Damascus, proving that this Jesus is the 
Christ. His preaching, thirdly, was what 
I'll call apologetic. Now, for those of you who think 
apologetic simply means, I'm sorry, that's not what it means. 
It's a defense. He confounded, he tied them in 
knots because he could defend the truth. He knew his Bible 
well enough. Now that he'd been given this 
ingredient that Christ is the scope of scripture, he is able 
to defend everything that he is saying with an appeal to Holy 
Scripture. As well, he preached persuasively. He proved that this Jesus is 
the Christ. Now, when I talk about persuasive 
preaching, I don't mean shouting people down, screaming at them, 
intimidating them, or making them feel like they have no out. 
That's not what I mean. I mean, go to scripture, expound 
the passage, and apply it. It really shouldn't be as hard 
as it's gotten. It should be a very simple thing 
that the church has in terms of her desires for ministers. It's not that they be showmen. 
It's not that they be, you know, the bestest at everything. It's 
that they preach the word of God. Isn't that the lasting mandate 
for the church? Preach the word, be ready in 
season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort. I love 
that. 2 Timothy, I've already mentioned. Last book, the apostle 
Paul wrote, the last official command. Later after that, he 
says to Timothy, you know, bring the cloak that I left in Carpus, 
bring the books, especially the books. He asks for certain things. 
He gives commands to Timothy of a private nature. But the 
last corporate command is preach the word. How did we get so far 
off that? How did we get to the point where 
it's showmanship? How did we get to the point where 
it's, you know, entertainment? How did we get to the point where, 
you know, Joel Osteen is packing a stadium of people? I mean, okay, he's got great 
teeth and nice hair, but there's got to be more to life than that. 
They're souls. This is truth. This is heaven. It's hell. The stakes matter 
in all of this. To call that Christian, that's 
just not. It's an aberration. It's defective. It is feel-goodery. It is self-helpery. It is, you know, give him a little 
boost or a shot in the arm. What better boost or shot in 
the arm comes from the contemplation of a crucified and risen savior? 
It's always perplexed me that when the church tries to become 
culturally relevant, that's when she becomes the most irrelevant. 
Do you know what this culture needs? It needs a great big dose 
of Jesus Christ and Him crucified. That's the message we always 
have. That's the message we're always supposed to espouse. That 
is the message that has been entrusted to and given to the 
church. Let those guys entertain the 
masses. Let the others do whatever it 
is they do. But Paul said, we preach Christ crucified. We preach 
Christ crucified to the Jews a stumbling block and to the 
Greeks foolishness, but to us, the power of God. As well, we 
ought to appreciate, not in a good way, the enmity of the Jews. 
They plot to murder Paul and eventually do so. But even in 
that, you see something of the unique providence of God, because 
it's when he's running, it's when he's hiding, it's when he's 
being pursued that he's preaching. He's standing before the Jews. He's called before the Sanhedrin. Get that account. If you're reading 
McShane, you read this morning, chapter 22 and 23, or the last 
couple of days, 22 and 23. 22, he's in Jerusalem. He preaches. 
He tells his story. He tells about his conversion. 
He tells how Jesus wanted him to go to the Gentiles, and it's 
there everything stops. It's there the mood changes. 
It's there that he lost them. Why? Because they hated the Gentiles. That's what brought the animosity 
upon him at that time. They want to kill him then. They 
deliver him over to the magistrate. He gives him a hearing with the 
Sanhedrin. It's an amazing thing that God 
does in his sovereign providence to put his people where he'll 
have them. We may not choose these things, but if God has 
purpose for us, we will be there. And that brings us finally to 
consider that blessed gospel. Immediately he preached the Christ 
in the synagogues that he is the Son of God. We have that 
confession in Acts 8.37 with the Ethiopian eunuch. If you 
believe with all your heart, you may. And he answered and 
said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. We have this 
in Matthew 16 when Jesus says, Who do men say that I am? I, 
the Son of Man, am. And then he says, but who do 
you say that I am? And Peter says, thou art the Christ, the 
son of the living God. Jesus says, blessed are you, 
Simon Barjona, flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but 
my father who is in heaven. Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, 
for confessing the fact that Jesus Christ is the son of the 
living God. That's everything. If you have 
not confessed faith in him, that's everything. Everything depends 
upon that in your life. You may have great plans for 
your future. You may have great plans for 
family. You may have great plans for what you're going to do in 
your professional life. But if you do not have faith in Jesus, 
if you are not a believer in Him, if you have not been forgiven 
and received that righteousness from God through faith, you are 
going to go to hell. That's why he immediately preaches 
the Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God. That's 
why he says in 2 Corinthians, knowing therefore the terror 
of the Lord, we persuade men. It is simply too heavy, too grave 
a concern to chat with men. to simply stir up men, to come 
with hands up. No, we persuade men. If you don't 
know Jesus Christ, you need to come, you need to believe, and 
you need to see how great and glorious it is to be found in 
Him. Well, let us pray. Our Father, we thank You for 
Your Word. We thank You for this history that we have in the book 
of Acts. We thank You that this archenemy 
became a chief proponent of the gospel of our Lord and Savior, 
Jesus Christ. God, may this encourage our hearts 
and may it strengthen us, and may you help us throw off any 
sluggishness or any coldness and cause us to not be ashamed 
of the gospel, knowing that it is the power of God unto salvation 
for everyone who believes. And we pray these things through 
Jesus Christ, our Lord, amen. Well, stand with me and turn 
in your hymn book to 516.