Welcome back to FCA we’re continuing our book study on Acts. I hope you all have been reading along because this truly is an awesome book. I hope your all ready and awake this morning this is sure to be an awesome Monday! Today we’re reading from Acts chapter 9. Now this chapter is about a great transformation. Acts chapter 9 verses 1&2 read “Meanwhile, Saul was uttering threats with every breath and was eager to kill the Lord's followers.* So he went to the high priest. He requested letters addressed to the synagogues in Damascus, asking for their cooperation in the arrest of any followers of the Way he found there. He wanted to bring them—both men and women—back to Jerusalem in chains.” Notice how it says “followers of the Way” the followers of Christ were known as the followers of “the Way” We know where they got that from. Jesus Christ said “I am the Way the Truth, and the Life.” So Paul was going after the followers of the Way of Christ. Now if you remember 2 weeks ago we talked about Stephen who was the first Christian martyr, and the boldness of his faith. Remember when Stephen was being stoned to death, who was standing beside them? Saul. He held the cloaks of those who killed Stephen. Saul was the one that brought Stephen to trial. Saul was on this mission to remove all of the followers of the “Way”. Continuing on beginning with verse 3 “As he was approaching Damascus on this mission, a light from heaven suddenly shone down around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?"
"Who are you, lord?" Saul asked. And the voice replied, "I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting! Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do."
The men with Saul stood speechless, for they heard the sound of someone's voice but saw no one!8 Saul picked himself up off the ground, but when he opened his eyes he was blind. So his companions led him by the hand to Damascus. He remained there blind for three days and did not eat or drink. Now there was a believer* in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord spoke to him in a vision, calling, "Ananias!" ”Yes, Lord!" he replied. The Lord said, "Go over to Straight Street, to the house of Judas. When you get there, ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul. He is praying to me right now. I have shown him a vision of a man named Ananias coming in and laying hands on him so he can see again." "But Lord," exclaimed Ananias, "I've heard many people talk about the terrible things this man has done to the believers* in Jerusalem! And he is authorized by the leading priests to arrest everyone who calls upon your name." But the Lord said, "Go, for Saul is my chosen instrument to take my message to the Gentiles and to kings, as well as to the people of Israel. And I will show him how much he must suffer for my name's sake." So Ananias went and found Saul. He laid his hands on him and said, "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road, has sent me so that you might regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Instantly something like scales fell from Saul's eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he got up and was baptized. Afterward he ate some food and regained his strength. Saul stayed with the believers* in Damascus for a few days. And immediately he began preaching about Jesus in the synagogues, saying, "He is indeed the Son of God!" WOW! What a radical transformation of this man’s life. When I look at this story and Gods AMAZING grace to transform this man named Saul into the great apostle Paul that wrote 13 books in the New Testament, other than the life of Jesus I don’t know if there has been any other life like Paul that has impacted more people throughout all generations of time, than this man. I’m amazed at God’s grace that it would come to a man like Saul. A man that completely hated all Christians and sought to destroy them and their very existence was shown such grace. Paul was so perverted in his thinking that everything that was pure and holy had been turned around in Saul’s life and it became the base of his hate. When I look at this story I see God’s light shining through touching Saul. And here’s the great thing about the light of heaven. God sees us for who we truly can become. He does not stop at the surface of our lives he continues on straight to our soul. And he looked beyond the hate, the faults, the failures, of this man and he saw the potential of who this man could be. With a life fully surrendered to God. Aren’t you glad that God looks beyond our faults and failures? Through his grace he forgives us and he transforms us. That is exactly what happened in the life of Saul. When I look at the verses and the story, it reminds me that God wants to shine that light into all of our hearts. God had to come in a dark moment and literally physically blind Saul. So that Saul was blinded to the point that he could now see the spiritual light and truth in his own life. God revealed that to him and transformed his life. God will come to us in our darkest hours because he loves us and he cares for us. You know what I love about the story of Paul; it’s no matter how far you’ve fallen into the darkness God’s grace will always be there to life you up and pull you out. Isn’t it amazing that in verse 9 that Paul was there 3 days and 3 nights nothing to eat nothing to drink, and he was blinded, but you know what truly is amazing is that God’s TIMING is always best for us.
God knew exactly what he needed to do to get Saul, he needed to lay him there and strip him of everything, during those 3 days. Saul was totally dependent on God and those that God had sent his way. This self reliant, self confident, self made man, could no longer rely on his own strength his own wisdom, he was laying there abandoned before God. And you know what God has to do that with us as well. God will allow us to go through very dark times in our lives. Most of the time so that everything that we hold onto that we think is dear and precious, can be stripped from us, so that we can really get a grip and grasp on God. We must understand there is only one thing that is eternal and that is our grasp on God and his truth. Paul was there communing with God, praying with God, and God was revealing himself to Paul. Three days on a street called straight, don’t you think that God has a sense of humor? God was going to straighten Paul out so why not put him on a street called Straight to straighten you out. Jonah was in the belly of a whale for three days. Jesus was in the grave for three days, Paul was blind for three days. There are times when we are in situations that we can’t and don’t understand why we’re here or we don’t understand why God is letting us go through this. And for some of us it’s God why are you allowing this to happen. There’s a lot of the “Whys” that we don’t understand but we can always trust Gods heart. We need to understand that God is always working for our GREATER GOOD. For me right now this is hard to believe, but I believe it. See a close friend of mine got injured over the weekend. Me and her grew up together and were best friends. She liked the idea of riding bulls and wanted to ride them professionally so she was taking classes. Well this past weekend she was bucked off of a bull and severely injured her spine and the spinal cord. The chance of her walking again is slim, in the single percent range to be exact. She has surgery today or tomorrow they don’t know yet. But as I was typing this last night it was so hard for me to think of what good could come of this. And I’m still confused as to why this had to happen and what good will come. But I know that God will take care of her just as he has taken care of me. See God has a plan and we may not understand it at first but if we trust in him then we will prevail.
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