the tale of 2 saul's:saul--apostle paul

Scripture: Acts 9:1-7

Last week we talked about King Saul. Chosen by God to be King, transformed by the Spirit coming upon him and he was changed. Saul started out with a humble heart but became arrogant and disobedient to the Lord’s ways. The end result was the kingship being taken away from him and the devastation of his life ending. Why? His trust in God wavered and diminished over time. God provided for him all he needed to be successful as king—but squandered it away because of his own interests and self-aggrandizement.

Today we look at Saul or Paul the Apostle.

Acts 8:1-3 gives us another picture of Saul. He had just approved the killing of Stephen. It reads this way: Saul agreed with putting him to death. On that day a severe persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout the land of Judea and Samaria. ² Devout men buried Stephen and mourned deeply over him. ³ Saul, however, was ravaging the church. He would enter house after house, drag off men and women, and put them in prison.

Now we come to our Scripture in Acts 9—Saul’s Damascus Road encounter with Jesus. Saul is still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of Jesus. He goes so far as to get arrest warrants from the high priest so that if he were to encounter any disciples who belonged to the Way, he can arrest them and put them in prison. So here he is traveling and almost to Damascus and suddenly a light flashed around him and he falls to the ground! Then the voice of Jesus—“Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”

I want you to grasp that for just a moment. Saul was after the disciples of Jesus but the Lord claims that when his people are attacked, they are attaching him!!

Who are you, Lord (could also be rendered “sir”?) Saul said.

“I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting… but get up and go into the city and you will be told what you must do.”

Imagine those who are traveling with Saul at this time—they heard the sound but couldn’t see anyone. Now Saul is blind and is led into Damascus. He couldn’t see for three days and could not eat or drink!

Now, imagine as well the Lord speaking to Ananias, a disciple in Damascus—the very place Saul is going to arrest believers!

Here I am Lord---Ananias says

“Get up and go to the street called Straight—to the house of Judas, and ask for a man of Tarsus named Saul, since he is praying there. In a vision, he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and placing his hands on him so that he may regain his sight.

Excuse me Lord—this guy is dangerous. Are you sure?

Go, for this man is my chosen instrument to take my name to Gentiles, kings, and Israelites. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”

Listen to how Paul explained himself prior to his encounter with Jesus.

Philippians 3:4-7 : although I have reasons for confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he has grounds for confidence in the flesh, I have more: ⁵ circumcised the eighth day; of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; regarding the law, a Pharisee; ⁶ regarding zeal, persecuting the church; regarding the righteousness that is in the law, blameless. ⁷ But everything that was a gain to me, I have considered to be a loss because of Christ.

Paul’s fleshly confidence included heredity and accomplishments. On the issue of his heredity, circumcised on the 8^th day placed him in a special group whose parents scrupulously kept the law. A Hebrew born of the Hebrews means he had impeccable credentials. Regarding achievements, he spoke of zeal and the law. Pharisee comes from a word meaning “separation”—in other words to honor the OT law. Zeal evidenced by persecuting the church was unnecessary for Pharisees. Righteousness that is in the means that Paul achieved all the law could promise. He had not failed by Jewish standards.

Yet, here he is stating that all that was gain to him he considers now loss because of Jesus!

Two other places in the Book of Acts Saul, now Paul, gives his testimony. Acts 22:6-21 and 26:12-23.

Paul has been chosen by Jesus to take the gospel to the Gentiles. That is quite the call as the Jews didn’t want anything to do with the Gentiles! But nevertheless, Paul was chosen for a purpose. In Acts 26, Paul shares a little more than Acts 9 does about what Jesus said to him on the Damascus road: “I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting. But get up and stand on your feet. For I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and a witness of what you have seen and will see of me. I will rescue you from your people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them to open their eyes so that they many turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a share among those who are sanctified by faith in me.”

Galatians 1 gives us insight into Paul’s beginning journeys of growing in the faith he is now proclaiming. Paul expresses that the gospel he preached was of divine origin by direct revelation of Christ.

As we would study Paul’s writings, we can see how the Lord worked in his life through the presence and power of the Spirit of God. He responded to the work of the Lord in his life and the end result was the beginning of many churches and the world being changed by the Gospel. Paul wrote over half of the New Testament under the direction of the Holy Spirit.

How could this be from someone who was so vicious against believers? He had an encounter with Jesus and it changed his heart and life. He was transformed and changed by the Spirit of God.

In Philippians 3 Paul states that what was gain to him he considers loss so that what—so that he could gain Christ. To have a righteousness that does not come from the Law but of faith in Jesus!

There is a humbleness in his heart that recognized the value to knowing Jesus. Everything he writes is about putting Jesus first in all things! To know Jesus is of the utmost importance and nothing else matters besides that!

Paul writes about pushing forward in knowing Jesus. About running the race and disciplining ourselves to know Jesus more and more. He writes about guarding your hearts and being fervent in prayer. And the list could go on and on in regard to Saul-Paul and how the Lord changed his life and used him to promote the gospel.

So, what can we glean from Saul #2 compared to King Saul that we can implement in our own lives?

1.     Paul responded to the Lord Jesus and continued to humble himself. Why does this matter? Keeping ourselves humble before the Lord helps us to understand daily that we need the Lord’s help and strength to get through each day—no matter what that day may bring. Paul considered himself crucified with Christ so that he might gain in his walk with Him.

2.     Paul understood that having your mind transformed is crucial. Having our thought life saturated by the Lord and His Word helps to keep us grounded in life and helps us to keep our hearts set on serving the Lord faithfully.

3.     Another important aspect from Paul’s life is to keep in step with the Spirit of God in your life. To keep being filled up daily.

4.     A key aspect of the contrast between the two Saul’s is one walked in obedience and the other did not. Walking in obedience helps us to understand that the Lord’s guidance in our lives, and our response to Him, will not only bring God’s favor on our lives but also help us to respond to the various circumstances in our lives that may come—whether good, bad, or ugly.

5.     Paul understood that his needs would be supplied as he trusted the Lord to provide. How easy it is for us to think that we can do it all by ourselves.

6.     The grace of Jesus was foremost in Paul’s heart and mind. Forgiven and welcomed was his message to Jew and Gentile alike. The message that Paul brought broke down the barriers between the two groups that normally would not have had anything to do with one another.

7.     Paul’s main message was the Law of Love. In Romans 14:13f he writes this: Therefore, let us no longer judge one another. Instead decide never to put a stumbling block or pitfall in the way of your brother or sister. He then goes on to tell us…”for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Whoever serves Christ in this way is acceptable to God and receives human approval. So, then, let us pursue what promotes peace and what builds one another up.

Everything about Paul was about lifting Jesus up foremost and in turn lifting up others to know they are loved and cared for by the God who loved them. It wasn’t about Paul—it was about the work Jesus did on the cross for each and every one of us. The end result is walking in the freedom of sin’s forgiveness, of no longer being under a legalistic system that judged people harshly, but being a part of the body of Christ that loves deeply and serves fervently.