Part Twenty-One Acts 9:1-31. Part Twenty-One Acts 9:1-31.

Part Twenty-One Acts 9:1-31

Let’s review our story from last week.

The Conversion of Saul

A Life Transformed

Acts 9:1-31

Acts 9:1 Now Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord went to the high priest,

Acts 9:2 and asked for letters from him to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, both men and women, he might bring

Acts 9:2 them bound to Jerusalem.

Acts 9:3 And it came about that as he journeyed, he was approaching Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him;

Acts 9:4 and he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”

Acts 9:5 And he said, “Who art Thou, Lord?” And He said, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting,

Acts 9:6 but rise, and enter the city, and it shall be told you what you must do.”

Acts 9:7 And the men who traveled with him stood speechless, hearing the voice, but seeing no one.

Acts 9:8 And Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; and leading him by the hand, they

Acts 9:8 brought him into Damascus.

Acts 9:9 And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank.

Acts 9:10 Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and the Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Behold, here I am Lord.”

Acts 9:11 And the Lord said to him, “Arise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for behold he is

Acts 9:12 praying, and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him, so that he might regain his sight.”

Acts 9:13 But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he did to Thy saints at Jerusalem;

Acts 9:14 and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call upon Thy name.”

Acts 9:15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel;

Acts 9:16 for I will show him how much he must suffer for My name’s sake.”

Acts 9:17 And Ananias departed and entered the house, and after laying his hands on him said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road by

Acts 9:17 which you were coming, has sent me so that you may regain your sight, and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”

Acts 9:18 And immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he regained his sight, and he arose and was baptized;

Acts 9:19 and he took food and was strengthened. Now for several days he was with the disciples who were at Damascus,

Acts 9:20 and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.”

Acts 9:21 And all those hearing him continued to be amazed, and were saying, “Is this not he who in Jerusalem destroyed those who called on this name, and who

Acts 9:21 had come here for the purpose of bringing them bound before the chief priests?”

Acts 9:22 But Saul kept increasing in strength and confounding the Jews who lived at Damascus by proving that this Jesus is the Christ.

Acts 9:23 And when many days had elapsed, the Jews plotted together to do away with him, but their plot became known to Saul.

Acts 9:24 And they were also watching the gates day and night so that they might put him to death;

Acts 9:25 but his disciples took him by night, and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a large basket.

Acts 9:26 And when he had come to Jerusalem, he was trying to associate with the disciples; and they were all afraid of him, not believing that he was a disciple.

Acts 9:27 But Barnabas took hold of him and brought him to the apostles and described to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, and that He had talked to him, and

Acts 9:27 how at Damascus he had spoken out boldly in the name of Jesus.

Acts 9:28 And he was with them moving about freely in Jerusalem, speaking out boldly in the name of the Lord.

Acts 9:29 And he was talking and arguing with the Hellenistic Jews; but they were attempting to put him to death.

Acts 9:30 But when the brethren learned of it, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him away to Tarsus.

Acts 9:31 So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria enjoyed peace, being built up; and, going on in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the

Acts 9:31 Holy Spirit, it continued to increase.

Having obtained the necessary papers, Saul and his entourage set out for Damascus.

The normal route north and east would cause them to pass through Samaria.

The revival there, led by Philip, Peter and John, may have infuriated Saul all the more.

As he approached Damascus with intense hostility, his world was turned upside down.

Saul was about to meet Jesus!

As the dramatic encounter unfolds we notice six unique features of transformation.

Transformed Faith in the Savior Fervency in Prayer
Filled with the Spirit

Transformed Fellowship with the Saints Fiery Proclamation
Fearless Suffering

Faith in the Savior! (Acts 9:3-9)

Saul had a very personal and powerful encounter with Jesus Christ.

He now knew that Jesus is indeed the Son of God.

The message of Jesus was true and he had been on the wrong side.

He surrendered everything!

Fervency in Prayer! (Acts 9:10-15)

While Saul waited, blind and hungry, thinking deeply about what had occurred, God was dealing with another man.

Ananias, one of the leaders of the Damascus church and primary targets of Saul was receiving special orders from the Lord.

Go and minister to the very man that once hated your guts.

And we see Ananias trust the Word of the Lord and take action in the face of great fear and danger.

Filled with the Spirit! (Acts 9:17)

Ananias brought some amazing news to Saul.

Not only would he regain his physical sight, but he was going to receive spiritual insight and power.

The Spirit transformed Saul in two very specific ways.

First, He took Saul’s natural strengths and refined them.

Second, He eliminated undesirable characteristics and replaced them with Christ-likeness.

Only the Spirit of God can so thoroughly sanctify and radically transform a life.

Today we’re going to focus on:

Fearless Suffering

Fellowship with the Saints! (Acts 9:18-19)

Acts 9:18 And immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he regained his sight, and he arose and was baptized;

Acts 9:19 and he took food and was strengthened. Now for several days he was with the disciples who were at Damascus,

Something like scales fell from his eyes.

G3013 λεπίς lep-is' From λέπω lepō (to peel); a flake: - scale.

Have you ever been convinced you were seeing something correctly only to discover you weren’t?

Saul had to unlearn some things.

Saul was convinced that he knew the truth only to discover that he didn’t.

He still had much to learn.

His physical blindness was a picture of his spiritual blindness.

Don’t you just love Saul’s response after his eyes are opened?

He got up and was baptized.

He took food and was strengthened.

And for several days he spent time with the believers in Damascus.

What a blessing!

I bet that was some party as they celebrated his conversion and new life in Christ.

Just think about it, the very people he had come to imprison were becoming his closest friends and confidants.

As they ate, worshiped and thoroughly discussed the Word of God; they were gaining new strength every day.

Can you even imagine the overwhelming joy?

One sure fire mark of a transformed life is the desire to be with fellow believers.

John 3:14 We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death.

Fearless Suffering

Fiery Proclamation! (Acts 9:20-22)

Those transformed by the saving grace of God cannot stop talking about it.

After a few days of fellowship with believers, Saul was eager to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Acts 9:20 and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.”

Acts 9:21 And all those hearing him continued to be amazed, and were saying, “Is this not he who in Jerusalem destroyed those who called on this name, and who

Acts 9:21 had come here for the purpose of bringing them bound before the chief priests?”

Acts 9:22 But Saul kept increasing in strength and confounding the Jews who lived at Damascus by proving that this Jesus is the Christ.

The very Jews who thought Saul was coming to set those Christians straight, now had to deal with Saul themselves.

We can see that from the beginning of his conversion Saul burned to preach the Gospel.

I Corinthians 9:16 For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for I am under compulsion; woe is me if I do not preach the gospel.

The very synagogues that were expecting warrants and arrests, now had to deal with the fiery proclamation of a transformed life.

Imagine if the most zealous defender of Judaism now became the most zealous evangelist for Christianity.

Many people were in complete shock and could not comprehend the drastic change in Saul.

Like Stephen before him, he met the Jews in open debate about the Messiahship and Deity of Jesus.

Saul’s education along with the leadership of the Holy Spirit completely confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus.

His knowledge of Scripture was on full display as he shared Christ with every ounce of passion and conviction.

Fearless Suffering

Fearless in Suffering! (Acts 9:23-31)

Luke’s phrase “when many days had elapsed” marked out a time period that is more specifically defined in the statement of Galatians 1:15-18.

Galatians 1:15 But when God, who had set me apart even from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, was pleased to reveal His Son in me

Galatians 1:16 so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with flesh and blood,

Galatians 1:17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but I went away to Arabia, and returned once more to Damascus.

Galatians 1:18 Then three years later I went up to Jerusalem to become acquainted with Cephas, and stayed with him fifteen days.

It’s implied that Saul spent those years learning from the Lord in the kingdom of Nabatean Arabia.

This is an area not to be confused with the territory of modern Arabia, but located from nearby Damascus south toward the Sinai peninsula.

When Saul returned he began preaching in Damascus more powerfully than ever, thoroughly exasperating the Jews.

Apparently the Jews weren’t the only ones Saul had irritated.

During his three years with the Nabatea, he had obviously worn out his welcome by preaching the Good News throughout.

He had even offended some high officials.

2 Corinthians 11:32 In Damascus the ethnarch under Aretas the king was guarding the city of the Damascenes in order to seize me,

2 Corinthians 11:33 and I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall, and so escaped his hands.

United in their desire to kill Saul, they were watching the gates day and night.

It was after his escape that he immediately went to Jerusalem and began trying to associate with the disciples.

Let’s look back at our text in Acts 9.