← Back to sermon library

Well, you can turn with me in 
your Bibles to the book of Acts, Acts chapter 9. While you're 
turning there, I'll remind you that a couple of weeks ago, we 
looked in our studies in John's gospel at John 16, specifically 
verses one to four, where Jesus promises his disciples that there 
will be opposition to them. Basically, he says, if they hate 
the master and reject the master, they're gonna hate the disciple 
and reject the disciple. And in that particular sermon, 
I made reference to Stephen. So last week we looked at Stephen. 
his specific martyrdom there in Acts chapter 7. And one of 
the things that Stephen does that is very similar to what 
our Lord did when he died was he prayed, Lord, do not charge 
them with this sin. So I thought it would round out 
that study or that subset of study in John's gospel to look 
at Saul of Tarsus and his baptism. as I believe that Saul of Tarsus 
is a direct answer to that prayer of Stephen in Acts 7 at verse 
60, Lord, do not charge them with this sin. Of course, Saul 
was standing there guarding the cloaks of those who stoned Stephen 
to death. And then we see Saul's conversion 
here on the road to Damascus. So our focus this morning will 
be verses 17 to 25, but I do wanna read beginning in verse 
one, just to set the larger context. 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? And 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 saying 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 priest to bind all who call on your name. 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. Immediately he preached to 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 led him down through the wall in a large basket. Amen. Well, let us pray. Our gracious 
God and Holy Father, we thank you for this day. We thank you 
for your mercies to us in the gospel of our salvation. We thank 
you for your handiwork in the created order and in providence 
and in that redemptive order. And we thank you that these three 
want to enter into the waters of baptism this morning. We pray 
that you would be glorified that as we see this we would not extol 
them, that we would not congratulate them or see some good works on 
their part, but may we see it as a result of the redeeming 
work of our Lord Jesus Christ, who lived for sinners, who died 
for sinners, and who was raised again for sinners. We thank you 
for your sovereign grace that taught their hearts to fear, 
and we trust in that power even now. And we pray for any and 
all who have come here this morning that are dead in their trespasses 
and sins, that you would awaken them by your spirit. Give them 
the graces of faith and repentance that they may close with Christ, 
not only here, but all over the earth today as your gospel is 
preached. Forgive us now and cleanse us now from all sin and 
unrighteousness and guide us by the Holy Spirit. And we pray 
in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, amen. Well, as I said, 
that section there in John 16 actually continues from John 
15 verses 18 and following. So the 
opposition of the world against Christ and against his disciples 
was evident in the first century. We'll see it here. And Paul's 
an interesting case. He went from persecutor to persecuted. He comes into Damascus with extradition 
papers to arrest believers in that city and to take them back 
to Jerusalem. Well, he's converted, he preaches 
Christ, and then he has to be lowered down from the city gate 
in a basket. So we see the providence of God 
there. That idea of persecution continues. In fact, today is 
the international day of prayer for the persecuted church. It's 
good for us to remember our brothers and sisters. And if you question 
anti-Christian bias in this world, you only need to open your eyes. 
That fellow Peter that Mark mentioned in our time of prayer, we have 
prayed for the situation in Myanmar for several years now. And we 
have noted something recently that there's utter lawlessness 
in that country. It's war-torn. Basically, it's 
just a plundering ground. There's lots of minerals and 
a lot of things that are very desirable to China, for instance. And so, there is absolute, utter 
chaos in that land. So, naturally, the government 
arrests Peter. a pastor who cares for orphans. There's no other explanation 
than a John 15. There's no other explanation 
than if they hate Christ, they're going to hate Christ's disciples. 
And when we look at this particular passage, we see the conversion 
of Saul of Tarsus in verses 1 to 9. We then see the mission of 
Saul of Tarsus specified in verses 10 to 16. And then, as I said, 
our focus this morning will be on his baptism and ministry in 
verses 17 to 25. But consider Saul just by way 
of introduction. He mentions, or rather Luke in 
the book of Acts mentions Saul's animosity or enmity toward the 
church. Go back to chapter 8. We see 
the stoning death of Stephen at the end of chapter seven. 
And then in chapter eight at verse one, we see, now Saul was 
consenting to his death. At that time, a great persecution 
arose against the church, which was at Jerusalem. And they were 
all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, 
except the apostles. And devout men carried Stephen 
to his burial and made great lamentation over him. As for 
Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering every house. dragging 
off men and women, committing them to prison. The chapter that 
we read, 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. He would lay his hands 
on men and women, bring them bound to Jerusalem, not so they 
could be simply slapped on the wrist, but that they could be 
prosecuted and persecuted to the fullest extent of Jewish 
law. Remember, the unbelieving Jews despised Jesus. That gave 
evidence that they despised Yahweh. And they would actually think 
in the killing of others that they were rendering service unto 
God. Jesus says that in John 16. We notice Paul's own testimony 
in Philippians chapter 3, when he's basically giving us his 
religious summary or his religious resume to show us that it's not 
by works, but rather by grace through faith that a man is born 
again or saved. He says, concerning zeal, persecuting 
the church, concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. 
He says in Galatians 1, 13 and 14, For you have heard of my 
former conduct in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God 
beyond measure and tried to destroy it. And I advanced in Judaism 
beyond many of my contemporaries in my own nation, being more 
exceedingly zealous for the traditions of my fathers. And in 1 Timothy 
1, 13, he says, Although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, 
and an insolent man. So in some, Saul of Tarsus was 
a good get for our Lord Jesus Christ. He went from this one 
that was animated by a hatred for Jesus and a hatred for the 
church of Jesus to its chief proponent in terms of missionary 
enterprise. It is a wonderful illustration 
of the redemptive grace of God and a wonderful reminder and 
encouragement to anyone in here has not come to the Lord Jesus 
Christ, there is forgiveness with Him that He may be feared. 
There is mercy to be had in the Lord of glory. There is salvation. In fact, Paul later in 1 Timothy 
1.15, he says, this is a faithful saying, worthy of all acceptance, 
that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. And then 
he says, of whom I am chief. So be encouraged that this Lord 
Jesus receives to himself guilty, vile, helpless sinners. He receives them to himself and 
he gives them not only forgiveness, but a righteousness by which 
one day they will be accepted in the sight of a thrice holy 
God. So we see that conversion in verses one to nine. Then we 
see that mission specified, notice in verse 15. But the Lord said 
to him, this is the Lord to Ananias, go for he is... And you get why 
Ananias is a bit reluctant, right? Notice Ananias in verse 13, Lord, 
I've 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 priest of Bindal who call on your name. Imagine the 
Lord coming to you and saying, I want you to go talk to that 
fellow who's all about your extermination. I want you to go talk to that 
fellow who wants to see you in prison. Or better, he wants to 
see you dead. I want you to go talk to that 
fellow. So Ananias rightfully so, expresses a bit of hesitancy 
or a bit of reluctance. So Jesus says in verse 15, 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 now the shift 
changes in chapter 13 specifically, and the spotlight is no longer 
on Peter primarily, but upon Paul the Apostle. And the rest 
of the book sort of follows that pattern. We see Paul before Gentiles. We see Paul before kings. We 
see Paul before the children of Israel. So the grace of God 
manifested in the salvation of the Apostle Paul was for the 
Apostle Paul, but it was for contemporaries. His preaching, 
blessed by the Spirit, owned of the Spirit, was instrumental 
for the salvation of multitudes. But then Paul, under the Spirit, 
writes much of the New Testament, lastingly benefiting the church 
of the Lord Jesus Christ. So let's look now at the baptism 
of Saul of Tarsus in verses 17 to 19. Notice Ananias' contact 
with him. Verse 17, Ananias went his way 
and entered the house and laying his hands on him, he said, brother 
Saul, the Lord Jesus who came to you on the road as you came 
has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with 
the Holy Spirit. I think this laying on of the 
hands was a sign of commendation, not only of Ananias' but specifically 
of the Lord Jesus. As well, notice that Ananias 
calls him brother Saul. He goes from reluctance, he goes 
from hesitancy to now calling this man who was a persecutor 
and an attempted destroyer of the church, he calls him brother. 
Isn't that one of the blessed things about our religion? It 
brings together those who at one time were at great odds. 
Not only are we reconciled to God through faith in our Lord 
Jesus Christ, but we're reconciled one to another. In fact, John 
in 1 John tells us we know that we've passed from death to life 
when we have love for the brethren. And so Ananias sees this former 
persecutor of the church, and the way that he addresses him 
underscores the very grace of God. He calls him Brother Saul. Notice, he then equips him specifically. And again, he doesn't have the 
power. This is conveyed by Christ, has sent me that you may receive 
your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit. Now that Holy 
Spirit is the person who seals and guarantees us when we believe 
on the Lord Jesus Christ, Ephesians 1, 13 and 14. But as well, Saul 
of Tarsus, the Apostle Paul, would need the Holy Spirit to 
go and testify before Gentiles, before kings, and before the 
children of Israel. He would need a great measure 
of the Spirit so that he could go into the then known world 
and turn it upside down along with the other apostles. And 
so we see here somewhat of a commissioning ceremony that Ananias is engaged 
with. And then notice the baptism, 
verses 18 and 19. Immediately there fell from his 
eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once, 
and he arose and was baptized. So the scales fall from his eyes. John Gill makes an interesting 
observation here. Baptism follows illumination. Baptism follows conversion. Baptism follows the expression 
of faith and repentance in the risen Savior. We don't baptize 
people in the hopes that they might get saved. We baptize people 
because they have been saved. Notice Gil, he says, and this 
also may suggest to us that only enlightened persons. Now that 
doesn't mean enlightened in the sense that he went to the best 
universities, he went to the best colleges, he was trained 
at the feet of Gamaliel. No, the enlightenment there means 
that wrought by the spirit. You must be born again, John 
3. It is the reality. So this also 
may suggest to us that only enlightened persons are the proper objects 
of this ordinance, such as have the scales of darkness, ignorance, 
and unbelief removed from them, and have a spiritual sight and 
sense of divine things. I think there's some legitimacy 
to that, and you see it in the specific order. So he was converted 
and then he was baptized, just like the Ethiopian eunuch in 
Acts chapter 8. He professes faith in Jesus, 
goes down to the waters of baptism. It's never baptism and then hopefully 
somebody will get saved as a result. This reflects the Great Commission. 
In Matthew 28, Jesus says, Go therefore and make disciples 
of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, 
and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe 
all things that I have commanded you, and lo, I am with you always, 
even to the end of the age. Notice what he doesn't say. Go 
on, baptize people. Hopefully then they'll become 
disciples and then you teach them. No, the pattern laid out 
in the Great Commission reflects Old Covenant prophecy coming 
to fruition and shows or demonstrates New Testament consistency. Every 
time we see disciples made in the Book of Acts, they're made 
and then baptized. They're made and then baptized. They're made, we could do this 
for another hour. They're made and then they're 
baptized. And then they enter into the 
life of the church and there they're taught. Taught to observe 
all things that the Lord Jesus has commanded. And so the specific 
pattern is absolutely obvious in the conversion of Saul of 
Tarsus. Notice as well that he was baptized. We know that Saul was circumcised. It tells us that in that religious 
resume in Philippians 3. Sometimes you'll hear that baptism 
has replaced circumcision. And the text that typically people 
go to is Colossians 2, 11 and 12. Well, we can say this, that 
if it replaced one-to-one parallel, then why would somebody who is 
circumcised need to be baptized? They're similar, and I think 
the emphasis in Colossians 2, 11, and 12 is not on physical 
circumcision, but it's on circumcision made without hands. Physical 
circumcision in the Old Covenant, baptism in the New Covenant, 
look at that reality of the circumcision made without hands, vis-a-vis 
the new birth, regeneration, God's work in the hearts of sinners. 
It has not replaced it. Circumcision was the sign of 
the Old Covenant. Baptism is a sign of the New 
Covenant. The Old Covenant is not the New 
Covenant. There are differences, some consistencies, 
some certain continuities, but there are some great discontinuities 
as well. So he is baptized. He refers 
to this also in Acts 22. arise and be baptized and wash 
away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord. That's not 
teaching baptismal regeneration. It is rather that tank and the 
three people that go into it today are representing physically, 
symbolically, via this sign, what God has done inwardly. that he has washed away their 
sins, that they are in union with Jesus Christ, that they 
are now identified by or with the triune God. It is a wonderful, 
glorious ordinance that the church gets to celebrate together. And 
on the heels of that, notice that Saul is then strengthened. 
Verse 19, so when he had received food, he was strengthened. Then 
Saul spent some days with the disciples at Damascus. It's kind 
of a throwaway statement at the end there. Then Saul spent some 
days with the disciples at Damascus. First part, yeah, we get it. He received food and he was strengthened. 
He had been three days without food, right? After three days 
without food, when you eat, you get strengthened. But that last 
statement, then Saul spent some days with the disciples at Damascus. It's a curious turn of events. from 9, 1, and 2. breathing threats and rage against 
the church in Damascus, going to the authorities in Jerusalem 
and asking that they sign documentation, extradition papers, so that when 
Saul of Tarsus goes to Damascus, he can seize both men and women 
and take them back to Jerusalem so that they can be prosecuted. 
Now he's spending days with these disciples. Now he wants to be 
in their company. Now they are a family of God 
together. The adopting grace of Almighty 
God brings us into that blessed place. Matthew Poole says, 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 precisely the emphasis 
at the end of verse 19. So after he is baptized, we notice 
now the ministry of Saul of Tarsus in verses 20 to 25. Now the expectation 
isn't for Philip and Derek and Samantha to go and do thou likewise. All right, immediately leave 
this morning, go find a synagogue and start to preach Jesus. I 
mean, if you want to, go right ahead. But Saul is unique. We see that in that mission specified 
in verses 15 and 16. Jesus had plans for Saul of Tarsus. Jesus had plans for the apostle 
Paul. And so notice, there's three 
things I want to observe. The immediacy of his preaching 
in verse 20, the effects of his preaching in verses 21 and 22, 
and then the hostility toward his preaching in verses 23 to 
25. Note the immediacy. He doesn't immediately go to 
seminary. He doesn't immediately go to 
Bible college. He doesn't immediately go to 
Sunday school. He immediately preaches. Now, 
brethren, this is not normative. I would suggest that anybody 
that ever wants to preach, men, need to be qualified according 
to 1 Timothy 3, verses 1 to 7. They need to be trained. I mean, if we require mechanics 
and brain surgeons to be trained, we ought to require that ministers 
of God's holy word be trained. You see, Saul of Tarsus, in one 
sense, had been trained. He was a rabbi. He was of the 
Pharisees. He sat under the feet of Gamaliel. He knew his stuff, but there 
was one thing missing in terms of his stuff. Paul refers to 
this in Galatians 1. At verses 11 and 12, he says, 
but I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached 
to me, or 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. Now, the revelation of Jesus 
Christ for the apostle was the revelation of Jesus Christ. That was the one thing missing. 
He had Genesis to Malachi. He was a Pharisee. He was knowledgeable 
of the law, concerning the law, he says, blameless. He had all 
the data, but he didn't have that key ingredient in order 
to interpret the data, which was the life, death, and resurrection 
of Jesus. He, along with other unbelieving 
Jews at the time of Jesus, rejected. They resisted. Paul understood 
all too well, or Saul understood all too well, Jesus of Nazareth's 
claims. I think that's what animated 
him in his great hatred for the church. He was like those Jews 
we see in John 8 and John 10, when Jesus says, why, you know, 
if I've not done anything wrong, do you want to stone me? He said, 
well, you, being a man, make yourself equal with God. See, 
Saul of Tarsus understood all too well the claims of Jesus 
Christ. He just resisted them. He rejected 
them. He said there's no possible way 
that this is the Messiah. Who would have ever thought in 
terms of a crucified Messiah? Listen to J. Gressom Machen. 
I think he gets the nail on the head. He says, what Jesus really 
gave him near Damascus was not so much the facts as a new interpretation 
of the facts. He had known some of the facts 
before, but they had filled him with hatred. The Galilean prophet 
Jesus 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. Paul 
had known the facts before. He had known them only too well. 
Now, however, he obtained a new interpretation of the facts. 
He learned that Jesus was indeed the yea and amen of all the promises 
of God. Machen says he obtained that 
new interpretation not by human intermediation, not by reflection 
upon the testimony of the disciples, not by example of the holy martyrs, 
but by revelation from Jesus himself. So this is what we find 
here immediately. Immediately because chapter 9 
tells us he's converted on the road to Damascus. When he's converted 
on the road to Damascus, he understands this Jesus whom Saul is persecuting. Notice Jesus whom you are persecuting. What does that teach us? When 
Saul was persecuting the disciples, when Saul comes after the church, 
that is the persecution of Jesus himself. So Saul gets that information. He's now able to interpret the 
Old Testament. He's now able to see that Moses 
wrote of Jesus. He's able to see that Isaiah 
prophesied of Jesus. He's able to see that great promise 
in Jeremiah 23 concerning the Lord our righteousness is said 
of Jesus. He's understanding now the Psalms 
that he has sung, the Psalms that he has recited, the Psalms 
that he has prayed have as their primary subject matter, this 
Jesus whom you are persecuting. This was revolutionary for Saul 
of Tarsus. So now he's converted. Now he 
sees. Now he understands that everything 
all finds its fulfillment in Jesus of Nazareth. So that's 
why immediately he goes to preach. And notice in verse 20, the subject 
matter of his preaching. This is great. I think there's 
a tendency in, I don't want to say some of us, because it's 
all of us, to be a bit fearful, to be a bit hesitant, to have 
some trepidation. You're at Tim Hortons, and you 
know, if we pray right here, people might think we're weird. 
I don't know why we think that, but hey, it is the way it is, 
right? There's a natural inclination 
to fear. In fact, Paul himself in Ephesians 
6 says to the Ephesian church, pray for me that utterance may 
be given to me, that I may speak the gospel boldly as I ought 
to speak. So, even within the Holy Apostle 
Paul. But the unique thing here is 
that Saul of Tarsus, converted now, the Apostle Paul goes into 
enemy territory. And he goes into enemy territory 
with the most offensive message that he can bring. the most offensive 
thing. Notice that Saul doesn't try 
to appeal to them on what we already believe or hold in common 
together. We all acknowledge that Yahweh 
created the earth. We all acknowledge that David 
was God's man. We all acknowledge that God is 
sovereign in providence. He governs all their actions, 
all his creatures and all their actions. He doesn't do that. He goes to that linchpin dividing 
unbelieving Israel from the church. Notice in verse 20, immediately 
he preached the Christ in the synagogues that he is the son 
of God. Again, enemy territory, the most 
possibly offensive thing that he could have said, and that's 
precisely what he said. Why? Because he knew that was 
the issue. He knew that was the issue for 
him. He had this set of facts. He had heard about this Nazarene. 
He reckoned there's no way the Nazarene could be the one that 
Isaiah spoke of. So therefore, I've got to target 
the people of the Nazarene. Well, for him on that road to 
Damascus, given that key of interpretation, which is the life, death, and 
resurrection of Jesus, now that everything made sense, he's like 
that pearl merchant that finds that pearl of great price, and 
what does he want to do? He wants to go tell people about 
it, and that's precisely what he does here in verse 20. He 
knows what these unbelieving Jews need. He knows that it's 
Christ the Lord that can save them or Christ the Lord alone 
who can save them. So he goes with that message 
to that enemy territory. And he emphasizes that reality 
that has animated their hatred for Jesus and for his church. He preached the Christ in the 
synagogues. Notice that he is the son of 
God. the very thing that the unbelieving 
Jews in the earthly ministry of Jesus took exception to. They didn't like that. When Jesus 
claimed to be the Son of God, remember when Jesus asks the 
disciples, who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am? And they 
give him various responses, and then he brings it home to bear 
upon them. But who do you say that I am? And Simon Peter says, 
Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And what does 
Jesus say? Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, 
for flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father who 
is in heaven. That is a glorious statement 
concerning who Jesus is. And in our studies in John's 
gospel, we know he's not just meaning he's the son of God by 
adoption, the son of God by grace, or the son of God by creation. He's the son of God by nature. In fact, that's how Gil explains 
what Saul is doing here. 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. Make no mistake about it, brethren. 
Luke doesn't spend, you know, lots and lots and lots of sentences 
and paragraphs and pages on different aspects of apostolic preaching. 
He gets to the heart of it with this one statement. Immediately, 
he preached to Christ in the synagogues that he is the Son 
of God. The most revolutionary concept 
that persons in those synagogues would ever hear comes from Saul 
of Tarsus, newly converted on the road to Damascus, and immediately 
going in to preach this wonderful truth that Jesus is the Son of 
God. And the reality is that John 
tells us about this. tells us that Jesus is the Son 
of God, not by creation or adoption. In the beginning was the Word, 
and the Word was with God, and the Word was God, John 1.1. John 
1.14, the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld 
His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, 
full of grace and truth. That One who is fitted for the 
task of mediation, that One who is fitted to save us from our 
sins, is then announced in John 1, 29, when John the Baptist 
says, Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the 
world. I would imagine that in this room we have a lot of different 
opinions on religion. We have a lot of different opinions 
on churches. We have a lot of different opinions 
on how things ought to be done with reference to the Bible. 
But on this one thing we must all agree, the only way to God 
is through the Lord Jesus Christ. He says, I am the way, the truth, 
and the life. No one comes to the Father except 
through me. And the coming to Him is faith, 
repentance. It's to look to Him, to realize 
you can't save yourselves, to realize parents can't save you, 
spouses can't save you. You got to say with the hymn 
writer, nothing in my hand I bring, simply to thy cross I cling. That same hymn, he says, fowl, 
I chew the fountain fly, wash me, Savior, or I die. Let us 
not forget who we're talking about in this passage. Would 
you ever imagine in your wildest imaginations that the chief persecutor 
of the church would become the chief preacher of the church? God's providence is glorious. Of whom I am chief, Paul says. What's he saying? If you are 
a sinner, if you are dead in your trespasses and sins, if 
you want salvation, it comes under no other name given under 
heaven by which we must be saved than Jesus Christ the Lord. Again, 
we may disagree on a lot of things. We may disagree on, you know, 
eschatology, that's a big one, the study of the last things. 
You ask if there's, you know, 100 people in here, you'll have 
100 different replies on what's going to happen at the end. It's 
just the way it is, but we cannot disagree. We cannot mistake. We cannot misinterpret, and we 
cannot misunderstand. The way of salvation is through 
faith in Jesus. These three are not entering 
these waters because of their goodness. They're entering these 
waters because of the goodness of Jesus, His life of perfect 
obedience to the Father, His death as a sacrifice and a substitute 
on the cross, and His resurrection again the third day. Paul summarizes 
it beautifully in Romans 4.25. He says that Jesus was delivered 
up because of our offenses. Wasn't delivered up because of 
his own sin. Wasn't delivered up because he actually was a 
revolutionary. Wasn't delivered up because he 
was a tax evader. He was delivered up because of 
our offenses. And Paul continues, but he was 
raised for our justification. Salvation is by grace alone through 
faith alone in Christ alone. And Paul shows that. He demonstrates 
that. Sometimes people say, I'm too 
sinful to be saved. It's always encouraging to be 
able to say, you're the exact kind of person Jesus came into 
this world to save. It's like saying, I'm too hungry 
to eat. I'm too thirsty to drink. Because you're so sinful, your 
only hope, the only potential for hope, not potential, you 
come, you're saved, is in Jesus Christ, the Lord. So back to 
the text, notice the effects of his preaching. In verses 21 
and 22, then all who heard were amazed. They kind of had that 
Ananias thing going on. Him? Him? That one who was quite content 
to march into our meeting place with his extra edition papers 
in hand, to seize not only the men but the women, to drag them 
off back to Jerusalem so they could stand trial for their crimes. 
That one? The surprise, the shock is all 
too real. Verse 21, 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? It's a 
good observation. He's the one doing this. He's the champion now in our 
religion. He went to Damascus to try and 
destroy the church. Now he is preaching. the Christ 
of the Church. 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. Imagine, you know the worst guy 
in the city and you happen to come to church and there he is 
sitting with a hymn book praising God. You're looking surprised. Brethren, I would be questioning. I'd be a bit curious. You'd have 
known me as a young man and came into this church and saw me up 
here. You'd go, him? You kind of get that vibe, right? You're going to get into heaven. 
And you're going, you? You? You're going to probably hear 
that about yourself, too. You? Yeah, because it's not us. It's the glory of Jesus. Life, 
death, resurrection. Believe on him. That's the unifying 
principle amongst the people of God. They are confounded. Notice, I'm sorry, they are amazed, 
the Jews are confounded. Notice in verse 22, but Saul 
increased all the more in strength. This ain't the verse 19. Verse 
19, he hadn't eaten, he's eaten, now he's strong. That's not the 
connection here with verse 22. Saul increased all the more in 
strength and confounded the Jews who dwelt in Damascus, proving 
that this Jesus is the Christ. J. A. Alexander said he increased 
not only in the strength of his convictions, but in the force 
of his defense and in the power of his persuasion. He refuted 
the Jews. Just like we saw there in Acts 
chapter 6 as the buildup to Acts 7 and the martyrdom of Stephen. 
Stephen threw down with those unbelieving Jews. Stephen bested 
them. Stephen reasoned. Stephen argued. Stephen exegeted. Stephen showed 
how the Old Testament scriptures pointed unequivocally to the 
Lord Jesus Christ. So what happened? They couldn't 
dispute him back, so they turned him over to the Sanhedrin so 
that Sanhedrin could execute him. That's what you get in a 
world in opposition to God and his Christ. They hate the church 
too. Now notice he's confounding them. The language is beautiful. The 
Jews opposed Jesus and rejected the claim that Jesus was in fact 
Messiah or Christ. The apostle proved that Jesus 
is the Christ and also that he's the son of God. Don't forget 
that in verse 20. The apostle did this by preaching 
the scriptures. This is crucial. Faith comes 
by hearing and hearing by the word of Christ or the word of 
God. Your experiences and your testimony, those are good. Very edifying. Isn't it wonderful 
having lunch together and hearing about how God saved somebody? 
You know, I was doing this. I was persecuting the church. 
I got some extradition papers. I was gonna go to Damascus. I 
was gonna haul off the men and women. I was gonna take them 
back. That's all very encouraging. But faith comes by hearing and 
hearing by the word of God. Brethren, if you want to do your 
friends, unsafe friends or family service, give them scripture, 
read them scripture, teach them scripture, tell them scripture, 
because faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. 
So back to the statement. The apostle did this by preaching 
the scriptures, not by appealing to experiences or feelings. The 
particular verb here used means to present a logical conclusion, 
to demonstrate, to prove. So all that training as a rabbi, 
all that sitting under the feet of Gamaliel, all that knowledge 
of what we call the Old Testament scriptures now makes perfect 
sense to Paul the Apostle. So when he goes into those synagogues, 
he ain't there to play games. This isn't up for grabs. This 
isn't a debatable position. Well, maybe Jesus does satisfy 
the requirements of the Old Testament. The apostle argued, he demonstrated, 
he proved from their scriptures that such was the case. This 
meant everything for their salvation and for Paul's faithfulness. 
F. F. Bruce again says, the verb rendered 
proved means literally placing together. Here placing the Old 
Testament promises alongside their fulfillment and hence proving 
that Jesus was the one to whom they pointed. This was the method 
of argument regularly employed according to Luke by Paul, Apollos 
and others in the synagogues around the Eastern Mediterranean. 
I think there's something very instructive for us there in the 
church, as church. It's not our feelings that win 
people to Jesus. It's not our religious experiences 
that win people to Jesus. It's the power of the Holy Spirit 
working by, in, and through the word of truth. Sinners need to 
hear the reality that Christ crucified is the way of salvation. And that is precisely what the 
apostle does. And then let's round this out, 
connecting it to the two previous Sundays, the hostility toward 
his preaching. Notice the hostility stated in 
verse 23. Now, after many days were passed, 
the Jews plotted to kill him. One has to imagine, I think, 
maybe you don't have to, but I'm gonna suggest you should, 
One has to imagine that some of these who plotted to kill 
him a week ago were thick as thieves with him. After all, 
concerning the law, a Pharisee. After all, extradition papers 
for that nasty sect of the Nazarenes. Likely Saul of Tarsus was a folk 
hero in that part of the world at that time. What happened? Why are they plotting to kill 
him? So I mentioned this when we were 
looking at John's gospel. We don't, as God's people, realize 
the degree of the enmity, the degree of the animosity Like 
in any context, would it ever be right to arrest a Peter in 
Myanmar, not the apostle? His crime is watching over orphans? Again, if you're arresting the 
guy that's watching over orphans, you're in the wrong. It's not 
him, it's not the orphans. You're on the losing team. Notice. who at one time would have seen 
Saul of Tarsus as a guy they'd like to see in the lunchroom, 
they're now plotting to kill him? This is the nature or the 
gravity of the warfare that's involved. This is why Paul tells 
Timothy, wage the good warfare, not with military might, but 
with the weapons of our warfare. They're not carnal, but they're 
mighty for the pulling down of strongholds. It is preaching, 
it is praying, it is the missionary enterprise, it is evangelism, 
it is the church. So the apostle Paul now goes 
from persecutor to persecuted. So notice, he's aware of this 
according to verse 24, but their plot became known to Saul, and 
they watched the gates day and night to kill him, either by 
God directly or by his friends. Hey, Paul, by the way, all those 
people you used to shock and jive with, they now want to kill 
you. Notice that Paul doesn't, you know, I know it's a supposition 
here, but what do you mean I'm only preaching Jesus as the Messiah? 
He understood, because he knew what Jesus as Messiah says in 
John 15, if they reject me, they're gonna reject you. If they hate 
me, that means they hate the Father also. They're going to 
do it in such a way, according to chapter 16, they're going 
to throw you out of their synagogues. Then, they're going to actually 
kill you and think they're doing service for God, John 16, 3. 
Solitarisis was no dummy. He had been on the persecuting 
end. Now, as one who is persecuted, 
it all makes sense to him. So what happens? He shows us 
the validity of Matthew 10, 23. Jesus tells the disciples, when 
they persecute you in this city, flee to another. It's a perennial 
question. Do I stay in a combat zone or 
do I leave? I believe God gives wisdom. I 
believe that God gives help. And I believe that there is warrant 
at times to leave the combat zone. And that's precisely what 
happens. Verse 25, then the disciples 
took him by night and led him down through the wall in a large 
basket. Paul refers to this in 2 Corinthians 
11, verses 32 and 33. The particular man in charge 
at the time was a man by the name of Aretas. And he died in 
AD 39. So Acts 9, 1 to 26 likely takes 
place in AD 36 to 39. not long after the death, the 
resurrection, and the ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ. He 
saves Paul, and then he calls for Paul to go and be his witness, 
to go and testify before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. Well, just a couple of thoughts, 
and then the, I was gonna say the baptized ease, and I will 
go change our clothes, and we'll meet in the tank. But in terms 
of the preaching of the apostle, the preaching of the apostle. 
I'm convinced for the church's good, for the church's advance, 
for the church's health, for the church's strength, we need 
to make much of preaching. For since, in the wisdom of God, 
the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God 
through the foolishness of the message preached to save those 
who believe." Paul says that in 1 Corinthians 1. Paul also, 
as sort of as parting words to Timothy, his young ministerial 
companion, says this, Preach the word. Be ready in season 
and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort with 
all long-suffering and teaching. For the time will come when they 
will not endure sound doctrine. What's the modern logic tell 
us? Well, they don't endure sound doctrine, so let's get rid of 
sound doctrine and replace it with all kinds of trivialities, 
because that's what modern Americans and Canadians are up for. Preach 
the word. It's as if God is saying, I don't 
care if you won't endure sound doctrine. It is sound doctrine 
that you desperately need. It's kind of like a parent. Do you let your two-year-old 
say, no, I'm not going to eat that broccoli? Oh, well, sorry 
there, dearie. I'll just go get you cake. you'd 
say, no, there's some nutritional value there. Go ahead and swallow 
it. Preach the word, Paul says. Be 
ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort with 
all longsuffering and teaching. There is an emphasis in the New 
Testament that picks up on the prophetic emphasis in the Old 
Testament on the proclamation of God's truth. It's not about 
feelings. It's not about experiences. Faith 
comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. Paul preached 
immediately. Paul preached Christocentrically. That means he preached about 
Christ. He preached apologetically. That 
word apologetically there does not mean I'm sorry. It means 
to defend. He defended the truth. The claims 
that he was making had their grounding, their rooting in the 
Old Testament. And he preached persuasively, 
proving that this Jesus is the Christ. Secondly, we ought to 
appreciate the providence of God. The providence of God. He governs all His creatures 
and all their actions. Every detail, every jot and till, 
every raindrop that falls from heaven. It's not haphazard, it's 
not chance, not blind fate, it's God. Our God is in the heavens, 
He does whatever He pleases. Psalm 115, Psalm 136. God, I'm 
sorry, 135. God is in heaven. Saul came to 
Damascus in order to bind the disciples of Christ. He ends 
up preaching to them as one of them. I call that a blessed stroke 
of providence. Saul came to Damascus with threats 
of murder in his heart toward the disciples of Christ. He ends 
up as the target of threats of violence against his own life. 
Again, another beautiful stroke of providence. Saul comes to 
Damascus with extradition papers for others, and he himself is 
lowered out of a basket. Do you just look back at the 
providence of God and say, boy, that's neat. That's cool, as 
the kids would say. That is really awesome, as the 
kids would say today. Or epic, I guess, is where we're 
at. Where are we at in the whole gradation? There's probably words 
I don't even know. But that providence is still God's providence. That 
means anybody in your life that is outside of saving faith in 
Jesus, there's hope for them. There's hope in Jesus for sinners. It is a faithful saying. It's 
worthy of all acceptance that Christ Jesus came into this world 
to save sinners. Paul moved in light of that reality 
for the entirety of his apostolic career. And then I would suggest 
finally, relative to baptism, the baptism of Saul marked him 
out as a disciple of Christ. The first thing was prayer. When 
Jesus tells Ananias to go find Saul, it says, behold, he is 
praying. Saul the Pharisee probably prayed 
a lot. He probably logged in plenty of hours of prayer. It 
wasn't real prayer. Behold, he is praying. That is 
the first expression of a born again heart in this passage. 
The baptism of these three marked them out as disciples of Christ. Again, the water doesn't save 
them. Contra those who have taught regeneration by water. We don't 
believe that here. It is an outward sign of what 
the Lord has done inwardly. We do not believe that baptism 
precedes conversion. Baptism follows conversion. They believed and were baptized. We do believe that baptism is 
commanded by Jesus Christ. It is a sacrament or an ordinance 
given by the Lord for his church to be practiced until he comes 
again in glory. Second London Confession, our 
confession says, baptism is an ordinance of the New Testament 
ordained by Jesus Christ to be unto the party baptized. And we believe that baptism signifies 
the blessings received by God's grace through faith in Jesus. So Philip and Derek and Samantha, 
think about this. This is a sign of his fellowship 
with him, Jesus, in his death and resurrection of his being 
engrafted into him of remission of sins and of giving up unto 
God through Jesus Christ to live and walk in newness of life. 
That's the significance for you three when you go into the water 
this morning. And if you are not a believer, 
I want to end by saying, look unto the Lord Jesus Christ and 
you shall be saved. Well, let us pray. Our Father 
in heaven, we thank you for your word. We thank you for your power 
and your providence displayed here in Acts 9, taking a man 
who was breathing threats and hatred and murder to the people 
of God and converting him and saving him, even such that he 
preaches the Christ he formerly tried to destroy. We thank you 
that there is hope in your gospel. We pray that this gospel would 
be preached all over the world today, that it would run swiftly 
and be glorified. And we pray again that you bless 
Philip and Derek and Samantha and encourage their hearts and 
build them up in their most holy faith. And we pray through Jesus 
Christ, our Lord. Amen. Well, you can all turn 
to hymn number 447, and the three of us will go change our clothes. separate rooms, of course. Baptists 
have been accused of some heinous things in the history of the 
church. I want to make sure everybody knows that. of all my hopes around. Christ, the sweet of all my joy, 
still in you may I be found. Still for you, my thousandth 
Lord. Still for you, my thousandth 
Lord. be your praise See me from the moment in, till 
I was tired in it, may I prove it right to live. ♪ God shall bless the blind ♪ ♪ 
Safely reaching anew's path ♪ ♪ Safely reaching anew's path ♪ let me know Are you seated? You're not cold? Come on. It's 
cold. Do we need to put the clip on 
or no? Okay. Hey, buddy. Well, it's good to 
be here. And the reason why we asked the children to come up 
is because it is a visible expression of what God does invisibly. And 
it's kind of like a book that said, beautiful British Columbia. And it was all just pictures. 
You learn a lot about British Columbia by those pictures. You learn a lot about the gospel 
by what's happening here. And so it's a good way for our 
young people to see what is happening. So I just want to rehearse again. 
our confession of faith. I mentioned paragraph one that 
speaks of the significance of baptism. It is an ordinance of 
the New Testament ordained by Jesus Christ to be unto the party 
baptized, a sign of his fellowship with him in his death and resurrection, 
of his being engrafted into him, of remission of sins, and of 
his giving up unto God through Jesus Christ to live and walk 
in newness of life. It then goes on to speak of the 
proper subjects. Those who do actually profess 
repentance toward God, faith in and obedience to our Lord 
Jesus are the only proper subjects of this ordinance. It speaks 
of the outward element, and that's obviously water. The outward 
element to be used in this ordinance is water, wherein the party is 
to be baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and 
of the Holy Spirit. And then the final paragraph 
deals with immersion or the mode in which we apply that water. 
Immersion or dipping of the person in water is necessary to the 
due administration of this ordinance. So before we actually baptize 
Philip and the others, it's part of my, I've mentioned this before, 
a benefit or a privilege associated with being in the ministry here 
is I get to interview the candidates, talk to them about their own 
conversion, hear something of the way they came to know the 
Lord. and then have them or hear from them an explanation of the 
gospel. And it's always an encouragement. It's always a blessing. I've 
known Philip since he was born, and it's been good to see him 
grow up in the context of the church. He's got lots of good 
questions. When he pulls out his phone in 
my office, I know I'm in for a for some rousing conversation, 
because he keeps track of all these things, which is great. Don't ever change. But very encouraging 
to see this young man identified publicly with our triune God. 
So I'm going to ask him the questions and then baptize him in the name 
of our triune God. Do you believe there is one true 
and living God who exists eternally as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit? 
Do you believe that you have sinned against God and justly 
deserve His punishment for your sins? Yes. Do you believe that 
Jesus Christ, the Son of God, lived in obedience to God's law, 
died as a sacrifice and substitute for sinners and rose on the third 
day? Yes. Do you believe in Jesus Christ alone to save you from 
your sins? Yes. And do you commit to walk 
in obedience to God through faith in Jesus Christ? Yes. Amen. I 
baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of 
the Holy Spirit. Hang on, hang on. Another, just 
to commend to you, Derek and Samantha. It's been very good 
to get to know them as well and to hear of their eagerness to 
be baptized, to join with us. Just a real encouragement to 
see young people committed to the Lord, wanting to walk according 
to scripture, wanting to be faithful to our God. And just been a real 
privilege and a pleasure to get to know this family as well. 
I don't know. Are you loud enough? Are you 
able to hear me? Can we touch the mic? I don't want to zap 
anybody. Yeah, you can pick it up. After medical trauma in my teenage 
years left me broken and aware of my place before our holy God, 
the Lord came to me through Isaiah 55. Wherefore do you spend money 
for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which 
satisfieth not? Hearken diligently unto me, and 
ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. 
Christ's final words on the cross became real to me. It is finished. 
My sins were paid in full, all because of grace. In the years 
that have followed, that truth has become clearer and clearer 
to me as the goodness of God has not only bound up my wounds, 
but showed me more and more of the beauty of Christ. Baptism 
is a beautiful picture of the grace of God, something I need 
to be reminded of every day, even on my worst days. God sees 
me washed clean from my sins and clothed in the perfect righteousness 
of Christ. Tis grace has brought me safe 
this far and grace will lead me home. I baptize you in the name of 
the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. after losing my dad to cancer 
as a teenager. I spent several years struggling 
with the reality of needing a savior myself, but not being able or 
willing to truly trust in him. Knowing my dad had been saved 
and died with true peace was a huge encouragement to me. My 
older brother and some other Christian friends continually 
witnessed to me over those years and prayed for me a ton, and 
I'll always be grateful to God for them. I was finally freed 
when I heard a sermon on Mark 5, verse 36, where Jesus says 
to Jairus, be not afraid, only believe. The Spirit used that 
to turn my eyes away from all my doubts and fears, and instead 
turned to Jesus and trust Him with it all. He alone is our 
faithful Savior. And I hope that baptism today 
will be used to show us again how willing Christ is to wash 
us clean from all our sins and give us new life with Him. I baptize you in the name of 
the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. They are now members of our church, 
so we pray for them and encourage them, and hopefully they, I trust 
they will be praying for the rest of us also. So we'll stand 
and sing 568 in your hymn book, the doxology of praise to our 
triune God, and then I'll close in a word of prayer. I've fallen in heaven today. Jesus Christ, that he will build 
his church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against 
it. We thank you for these three. We pray for your great blessing 
upon them, that you would encourage them along the way, and look 
with favor upon the entirety of our church. We pray for your 
forgiveness when we sin, for all the sins that we do commit. 
Fill us with your Holy Spirit, and cause us to shine as lights 
in this crooked and perverse generation, and give us boldness 
to hold forth your word of truth. Go with us this day, cause us 
to call it a delight, and to find our true rest and our peace 
in our Lord Jesus Christ. And it's in his name that we 
pray. Amen. Well, please be seated for a 
brief time of meditation.