The Persecutor Becomes the Proclaimer (Acts 9:1-19)

turning your Bibles to Acts chapter 9 we're continuing our store study of really the the book of Acts the first century the first 30 years of the spread of the church and so forth think about the things we have seen we've seen Jesus Christ died and rose again and then we saw the same ascend into heaven and we saw Pentecost and the formation of the church we saw Peters two different messages over 8,000 people believed we've seen the persecution which seemed problems from within and without and then for the last couple of weeks we've seen the spread of the message it started first went north to beginning Jerusalem then went north to Samaria and then South to Judea and and that just fits along with what we've seen in the book of Acts if you remember from our slide that the book of Acts divides in based on Acts chapter 1 verse 8 he said you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem Judea Samaria and to the other most parts of the world in 1 through 7 the spirit of the message in Jerusalem and 8 through 12 the spread of the message in Judea and Samaria and then in 13 through 28 through the world so we're in chapter 9 and we're in this section where the message is being spread around from Jerusalem to Judea and Samaria and this morning it is an event that in a sense if we didn't know what was going to happen it would catch us by surprise because we're gonna see the conversion of song and most of us don't think of him as Saul we think of him as Paul we think of Paul the Apostle and the man who wrote Romans and Philippians and Galatians and Ephesians and all those books and and we think about that but he's no longer from this day forward as we study this he no longer is the persecutor of the church he is the proclaimer of Jesus Christ and so as we begin to me raised some questions for you to think about first of all what was all doing and why second what happened on the road to Damascus and what was Paul's Commission what did God have friend to do so we'll see it as we go through it people sometimes could be asking this question what would be the best thing that could ever happen to you you could say well I could win the lottery that would be big or I could win Publishers Clearing House or I could get an inheritance or I could get married or I could get a new car we could say all these different things could be great things that happen to us but when you really think about it money and materialism things like that never last in fact what is the greatest thing that could ever happen to a person it would be the thing I'm a child of God that by faith in Jesus Christ they have eternal life that they have salvation and a personal relationship with Christ and they go from death to life from darkness to light and think about this you could have everything but if you didn't have Christ you really have nothing we could have nothing but if we got Christ we have everything well this morning we see the greatest thing happened to Saul Saul the persecutor of the church becomes Paul the Apostle he meets Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus he trusts Jesus Christ is Savior it's an incredible passage in fact it's not only found in Acts chapter 9 but its founding two other chapters chapter 22 in chapter 26 we'll see it more again as as we go through the book as we as we go through this he is a man that when you think of Paul you say he's traveled all over the known world proclaiming Jesus Christ probably the most dominant person in the New Testament now we think of Peter we said Peter I mean he's the leader but when you look at this Peter was the leader but but basically about after about chapters 9 10 11 you don't hear much of my Peter anymore and it's all the rest is Paul what was he like before he trusted in Christ when did it happen what did he do we want to see this event let me give you just the outline of the chapter we're seeing Paul's conversion that's the verse 5 verses we'll see that this one you don't have to write all this down but that's we're gonna see that and then we're gonna see Paul's obedience because what he does this is amazing not only does he believe in Jesus Christ as his Savior but then he says to God what do you want me to do what do you want me to go what do you want to do it's amazing and we see goes to Damascus and we meet this man named Ananias and then we see the Gospel message and the Commission that he has and his baptism and all that then as we finish the chapter let us see Paul's early ministry we'll do this next week we'll see Paul's early ministry and then it goes back to Peter and what Peter does so in Acts chapter 9 most of the chapter deals with Paul gist of their very end deals with Peter so this morning three things we're gonna see his meeting Jesus is meeting Jesus Christ that it's going to be his conversion to salvation we're gonna see his decision to serve what God wants them to do and we're gonna see a service what was his ministry now when you read this carefully and we see what his ministry is many of us would say I think that ministry the truth is you have that ministry and we'll talk about it as we go through it Paul the Apostle the one sold out for Jesus Christ the one who gave the great message of grace I mean when you when you think about Paul you say Ephesians 2:8 and 9 for by grace you have been saved through faith it's not of yourselves to the gift of God it's not of works lest anyone should boast Paul wrote that Paul wrote in Elevens if it is grace that is no longer works otherwise grace is no longer grace I mean think about it that's Paul think about Paul for just a second he wrote 13 letters a New Testament traveled on three missionary journeys and by the way as we go through the book of Acts we'll have maps well everything because we're gonna take you we starting at chapters 13 14 15 on we're gonna see the missionary journeys we're gonna see where Paul went what he did in the place that he went he founded churches already found a church at Philippi Thessalonica Berea Corinth Athens Ephesus the Galatian region he helped start the Colossians urge and he and he had a huge impact in the beginning of the Roman Church deserts Rome even though he wasn't there what do we know about him well he grew up in a little town of background I want to say it that way he grew up in a pretty good-sized town called Tarsus that's in modern-day Turkey it was on the trade route from the east to the west so it was a famous city Paul grew up there he was Jewish but what was unusual is his father was a Roman citizen that meant when Paul was born he was born with Roman citizenship as well that helps him later on listen if you had Roman citizenship they couldn't just go you in jail in any second they just couldn't do all kind of things to you because being a Roman citizen had its privileges his name was Saul but he also had another name named Paul his name was Saul because he was from the tribe of Benjamin and most likely his father named him after the first king of Israel which was Saul at the age of around 12 or 13 when he was considered a man bar mitzvah he was sent from Tarsus to Jerusalem to steady he went to school under the greatest teacher of the day a man by the name of Gamaliel you find this in Galatians chapter 2 Gleason's wanted to and so he went there and he was the top student now think about this he studied under the leadings teacher of the whole world if you said Jewish people and you said Gamay everybody said that's the top man Paul is the top student under the top man I mean he knew everything he was a Pharisee and when you say Pharisee it always sounds bad and it was but the Pharisees actually said what we're gonna do is be set apart we're gonna live by the Bible that doesn't sound bad does it it sounds good but what they did is they had all these rules and laws and they missed the whole thing of the Messiah and they actually thought by doing all the laws and the rules they gonna please God in some way and so as a Pharisee that's what Paul did he knew Hebrew law he knew Roman law he spoke Hebrew he spoke Greek he was a brilliant man he knew about Jesus he may have been at the crucifixion we don't know but he knew who Jesus was but he didn't believe in Jesus he believed Jesus was a fraud he believed Jesus was just some teacher and and that people were claiming to Jesus on the side but Paul didn't believe that he said that Jesus not the Messiah it's a it's a work system that gets you to God it's doing what God has for you to do it's the Mosaic law that's been handed down we've got to follow the traditions of the fathers that's what he thought but as we look at this passage Acts chapter 9 there's a change look at the change the change from the persecutor of the church to the proclaimer of Jesus Christ what changed his life well I want you to know the answer is not what the answer is who and that who is Jesus Christ we're going to see X chapter 9 and let's think of these three things we're going to look at his conversion when he trusted Christ his decision to serve and what his service was his ministry let's begin with his conversion how he trusted Christ as saved it now realized he's leading the persecution he's the one that is going in he's going into homes people who call themselves believers he finds out that they're not called Christians this time this time they're called the way and he finds these people who were called away and he drags them out and throws them into prison throws them into jelly he's going after him because he's leading this persecution he hated the followers of Jesus Christ back in Acts chapter 7 listen to this in verse 58 they're stoning Stephen and they lay their robes at the feet of a young man by the name of Saul that's that's him when Stephen was killed because he stood for Christ so saying give me your coats I'll hold them so you can kill him with the rocks in Acts chapter 8 listen to this verses one two and three it says Saul was an agreement to put in Stephen together and that day a great persecution began against the church in which the believers were scattered and saul is ravaging it says Saul began ravaging the church entering house after house dragging off men and women and putting them in prison now if we're Christians in that time we don't like Saul we don't like him at all that we hate him because he's key he's killing our PS coming in and if you claim to be a follower of Jesus he finds out he comes in and get you and put you in prison and a lot of times they're putting you to death because a Roman government didn't care they didn't care if the Jews killed people but they really said was I have Jews want to kill Jews we don't care but what happens look at Acts chapter 9 look at verse 1 this song still breathing threats and murder against the disciples the Lord went to the high priest and asked for the letters we'll talk about it in just a second it says he's breathing threats now this was a this is a really strange word in the original language it's the word used of a horse in battle that's making a lot of noise as it gets ready to go into battle breathing and snorting this is the word he's breathing threats he's looking for people he's saying you just show me where they are if I can just get my hands on his people I will get them even went to the high priest the high priest is either a nurse or conference we don't even know which one it is because they went back and forth and he said I need some written documents that I want to go to the mass bus and if I can go up there with written documents with the help of Jewish people up there around the synagogues I can go get these of this new way and I can get them and I can bring them back here and we can put them to death so it says he asked for the letters from him from the high priest to the synagogue's of Damascus so that if he found anyone belonging to the way both men or women he might bring them bound to Jerusalem he wants to go to Damascus Damascus is where anyway not Syria if Syria been on the news at all lately same place by the way it's one of the oldest sees in the world Damascus its was called the Decapolis which meant ten cities there were ten Greek cities that were north of Israel that were called the capitalist Jesus winter Jesus spread the message to these people Damascus it had AG large Jewish population but there are also many Christians now notice he says he asked letters for him to the synagogue of Damascus so that if he found any belonging to the way they're not called Christians it's time to call the way we'll come back to it in just a second it says that he would bring them bound to Jerusalem see that's his plan I guess he's I guess he's got enough Christians in Jerusalem already so now he's decided he'll go to Damascus and see if he can find some of them up there and bring them back now here's a question that we might ask how could any man like this ever be saved we've known people who are anti-christian and you know you know belligerence they all believe in God I don't believe in if they don't believe what you guys believe and you think as that person ever going to trust in Christ maybe what what would it take for that person to trust Christ there are people that you know that you come in contact with that you say boy be a miracle if that person ever trusted Christ there may be people in your families that you've witnessed to over the years and they say don't ever talk to me I don't want to talk about it I don't believe in that stuff I think you're crazy and you think what about Uncle John is he gonna ever come to know Christ probably not I mean that's what we think sometimes if we were there and we brought up the name Saul of Tarsus to all the followers of the way and we said how many you in this room think Saul of Tarsus is going to trust Christ we don't trust Christ he's gonna kill us all never give up because Paul said this he was the chief of sinners and if he can be saved who can be saved anybody can be saved well it says they were going after the ones belonging to the way the way John 14:6 I think they were trusted and you know John 14:6 jesus said I'm the way the truth and the life and no man comes to the Father except through me they were trusting in Christ to give them the way of salvation so they were called the way well what happens he's going to to Damascus now let me tell you something I loved Paul I loved studying him I read I've read you know I'm I've done I've done the study of every book that Paul is written of course in the New Testament I read books all of his life I've said it here's what I think was going on in Paul's life I think Paul was a Pharisee who tried to keep the law and if you read Romans chapter 7 Paul said the things I kept wanting to do I didn't do and I think Paul said that this law system that I'm trying to keep it until PIN me any and I think he saw Steven holding this holding the coats while the people killed Steven and Steven knew the Bible and was able to confront those guys and actually forgave them and I think Paul said would I die for the law the way Steven died for Jesus Christ I think Paul said I don't think I would I think Paul was in the conviction the Bible tells us that that the Holy Spirit convicts the world I think Paul was was down in Romans chapter 7 he just talks about that the law and the things that he thought he said the things that I thought would bring me life actually brought me death so he's on the way to Damascus I think he's struggling inside about who Jesus is and about what does it take to actually go to the Father to get with God and he's on his way to get these of the new way look what happened verse 3 as he was traveling it happened that he was approaching Damascus and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him and he fell to the ground and he heard a voice saying to him Saul Saul why are you persecuting me now as he was getting close to Damascus a light flash now according to acts 22 which we're gonna see later on it was midday the Sun was then this guy wasn't like in the evening and it wasn't like some kind of play was it was a light that was brighter than the Sun and it was so bright it flashed around him he says he fell to the ground and and he couldn't see and and by the way it says I heard a voice saying him Saul Saul why are you persecuting me Acts chapter 26 he says it was Hebrew it was a Hebrew voice speaking to him now let me tell you he saw somebody you know who he saw he saw Jesus he saw Jesus on the road to Damascus there was this blinding flash blinder it brighter than the Sun and there is Jesus of Nazareth standing there in front of Paul saying why are you persecuting me Saul Saul why are you persecuting me I've heard people say I was Jesus appeared to me I don't know if you want him to appear to you or not all right he's the most powerful being in the world he's God as he was traveling it happened that approached Damascus a light from heaven flashed around him and he fell to the ground and he heard this voice and Hebrew it was noontime saying to him Saul Saul why are you persecuting me that's all could have said well I'm the person giving you I'm persecuting these people who have following you but see if any man be in Christ when you put your faith in Jesus Christ as Savior you're placed in Christ the church is the body of Christ so if you persecute the church who are you persecuting you're persecuting Jesus Christ that's why Jesus said why are you persecuting me and he said who are you lord now the word Lord there doesn't mean at that point I don't think he's saying who are you old son of God I think he's saying who are you lord it's a it's a term that means like who are you mister who are you sir and then he said I am Jesus you know persecuting I think at that moment I think Saul of Tarsus we call Paul the Apostle I think he realized at that moment that he had been fighting against God because Jesus Christ was alive was standing there and was alive he had seen Jesus die and rise again that's what he heard or what he saw or not and he said who are you and he said I am Jesus I think he realized that the one who had died was truly alive and that Jesus Christ was the Messiah and they can't tell it so much in Acts chapter 9 we'll see a moon when we get to acts 22 in acts 26 but Paul I think came to the realization are right there that Jesus Christ is God and that he is who he said he was and that he's the Savior I believe that on the road to Damascus right there Saul Paul trusted in Jesus Christ as a savior he has seen the risen Lord later on Paul talks about being an apostle one of the requirements to be an apostle you had to have seen the risen Lord Jesus Christ we find that as he goes to Damascus he goes to that City as a saved man he went there to persecute the way he is going there as one who belongs to the way think about conversion just for meaning it happens just like that every one of you in this room when you put your faith in Jesus Christ as Savior the exact moment you trusted in Christ and in him alone you went from death to life from darkness to light from being in Adam to being in Christ think about that change that happened just like that you were dead in trespasses and sins you were on your way to being separated from God forever and when you put your faith in Christ you came alive you were dead now you're alive you were walking in darkness now you're in life you were in Adam but now you're in Christ now when you think about Paul's conversion you'd say wow that was big I was on the road to master flashing lights voices everything that's wild your conversion may not have been like that at all mine wasn't I said in the front seat of a car going to get something to eat and I said Lord I believe that Jesus Christ is my Savior I am trusting Jesus to give me eternal life car didn't stop the lights didn't flash nothing nothing right some of you may have had a dramatic conversion but probably most of us we didn't that doesn't mean it's not just as true just sometimes God does things in different ways he fell to the ground and he heard this voice saying Saul Saul why are you persecuting me he said who are you he said I am Jesus whom you are persecuting I think he realized right there that Jesus Christ is the savior and that he had actually been persecuting the Savior now the second part is the obedience what the service what's he going to do No what verse 6 says he says but get up and enter the city and it will told you what to do one of the other passages in action not in acts 22 and 26 Paul actually says what do you want me to do Lord I think he's changed I think he knows exactly who he is and now he says what do you want me to do obviously God has got saw Paul's attention and he says to him what do you want me to do in acts 22 I think I've got it X 22 10 what shall I do what do you want me to do Paul wasted no time and being ready to serve this is the question for all of us by faith alone in Christ alone you're saved and you're saved for ever that has nothing to do with your service you can trust in Jesus Christ and save you and you're saved forever the question is what are you doing for the Lord listen I trusted Christ when I was 19 I didn't say to him till I was 26 what do you want me to do I'm willing to go anywhere and do anything Paul immediately after he trusted Christ said what do you want me to do it doesn't show it in this passage that shows that in acts 22 see before salvation he had no way to serve God now he's saved he says what do you want me to do and notice what he says get up go into the city it will be told you what you must do we're going to see it here in just a few minutes what God had for Saul to do or for Paul to do now what about your life I hope and pray that every one of you in this room that if somebody said to you have you trusted Christ the Savior if you were to die would you go to heaven you say yes I've trusted in Jesus Christ my Savior I know I have eternal life okay that's one question the second question is what are you doing with your life have you ever said Lord what do you want me to do where do you want me to go how do you want this life to count for you you'll never be the same when you make that decision when you say Lord use me this is what Paul does right there and he's fixing to get the information that's why Romans 12 I think I've got a verse on it yeah we decide Wilson we could decide who we serve as either ourselves to Christ Romans 12:1 and 2 we offer ourselves as living sacrifices we say to God take my wife you use me for your honor and your glory I hope and pray that not only every one of you in this room and put your faith in Jesus Christ as Savior but every one of you in this room will come to a point whether it's either now when it's past you've already done this or whether it's now or sometime in the near future you're gonna say Lord I want my life to count for you well look what happened the men who traveled with him stood speechless hearing the voice but seen no one now in acts 22 it says they heard a sound but they didn't understand it I think what happened is Paul fell off whatever he was riding and there was the flesh and light and Jesus was talking to him and the guys with him that were going up there with him they heard this noise they heard a sound but they they didn't understand what the thing was saying because x-22 says they heard the sound but didn't understand what was said here it says they heard the voice but seeing no one I mean they heard something they just didn't see anything now there's a there's a teaching today that says that when you come to know Christ everything's gonna be great you know if you'll just trust in Jesus Christ your whole life will be great that's not what that's not necessarily true because when you become a believer and you trust in Jesus Christ as Savior you're now going against a fallen world it's not necessarily so great in fact look what happened to Paul or to Saul the men who travel with him stood speechless he knew no one but the boy but hearing the voice but seen no one Saul got up from the ground and though his eyes were open to notice he could see nothing and leading him by the hand they brought him into Damascus he got up and he couldn't say no you might say that when you come to know Christ and then you even tell God use me for your glory so he blinds you you say well this didn't work out that great I thought it would be better than this how did he expect to enter Damascus he expected to go in there triumphantly looking around looking for Christians and getting them and he goes in being led by the hands notice what it says they brought him by hand into Damascus they're bringing him in like this don't so watch out watch your step watch your step this is how it looks is that humility see when you come to know Jesus Christ flavor you realize you're not in Jesus is the important one our life is for him and so when Paul got up he couldn't see anything he went well this is great and and they take him into Damascus and says he was there three days without sight and neither ate nor drank Wow so not a good start if you think well I thought being a Christian was going to be a great thing let's meet somebody that helps look at verse 10 now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias and the Lord said to him in a vision Ananias and he said Here I am Lord now this is man he's a believer he's in Damascus you remember there's been other people named Ananias so far in the Bible and an eye on sapphire we'll see them later but here's Ananias and the Lord can Ephesian he had this vision and he saw the Lord spoke to him and he said Here I am Lord and the Lord said to him what I want you to do now watch how specific I want you to get up go to the street called straight inquire at the house of a man by the name of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul for he's praying and he's seen in a vision a man named Ananias but you come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight he said get up go to the street called straight go till you find that guy's house named Judas I asked for a guy by the name of Saul go in there he's had a vision and in his vision he saw you coming and putting your hands on him and then he could see so there two visions going on here Saul is having a vision while he's blind for three days and he sees this man named Ananias come and touch him and able to see and Anais has the vision and God says go find Saul and put your hands on him so that he can see that sounds pretty good doesn't it but what his hand and I say look at verse 13 but Ananias answered lord I've heard from many about this man how much harm he he did to your Saints in Jerusalem and he has authority for the chief priests to bind all the call upon your name he actually says thanks but no thanks I'd like to go but I don't really want to go because I've heard a lot about this guy this guy's pretty bad and I understand he has authority here to grab all the Christians and by the way I'm a Christian so if I go up there and lay hands on this guy so he can see he might just grab me off right there I've heard all the bad things about this man so could you get somebody else you know you know what would you say notice what he says in verse 13 Lord I've heard from many about this man how much harm he did to your what to your saints what is the Saint throughout history people are confused a little bit and they think when you hear the word Saint you think some special Christian Saint is a set apart woman anyone who has trusted Jesus Christ as Savior is set apart in Christ we're all called saints so every one of us in this room if you've trusted in Jesus Christ to save it you're a saint you're set apart in Jesus Christ we have been made holy I think connects like we've been made holy by faith that's what st. that's what set apart means it means to be holy means to be set apart for almost 45 to him it does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly his faith is credited for righteousness we get God's righteousness we are set apart once so every one of you in this room if you know Christ to say that you're a saint now the question is do we live like a saint okay set apart one so he says listen I don't think I want to go because I've heard so much about this man and I've heard how bad he is and he has authority from the priests to bind anyone that calls upon his okay well let's see what God answers and we're gonna see the service now watch this next slide what what had God set Paul apart to do watch this but the Lord said to him go for he has a chosen instrument of my name to bear to of mine to bear my name before the Gentiles and the kings and the sons of Israel for I will show him how much he must suffer for my name's sank twofold to witness him to suffer think about it first of all let's talk about the witness he's a chosen vessel that means God says I'm gonna take this man named Saul later on we're gonna know him as Paul and he's gonna bear my name he's gonna go out and he's gonna tell people he's gonna tell the Gentiles he's gonna tell Kings he's gonna tell the sons of Israel he's gonna proclaim to them the truth of Jesus Christ in fact in acts 26 I think the next slide says that he's going to go and go to the Gentiles and turn them from darkness to light from Satan to the Sun from forgiveness to have forgiveness and an inheritance that's his job he's to go to the people and tell him the truth so Paul has been set apart by God to take the message of Christ to the Gentiles to Kings and to the nation of Israel a great truth did you get the next verse for I will show him how much he might suffer for my name's think he's gonna suffer 2nd Corinthians chapter 11 talks about that he was beaten shipwrecked stoned in perils in the country and perils in the city in perils from the Jews I mean it just went on and on and on and as we continue and go through the book of Acts and see the missionary journeys of Paul we will be amazed at what he goes through to proclaim the gospel would you want that responsibility the witness and the suffering well guess what that's our responsibility next slide we're called to do the same thing in Acts chapter 1 verse 8 we shall be witnesses 2nd Corinthians 5:20 we're ambassadors for Christ as though he beseeched through us we get to take the message of the world we get to take people that the message of Jesus Christ but guess what Philippians 1:29 at the next slide yeah Philippians 1:29 we're called not only to believe in Jesus name but to suffer for his sake we live in a country we say we don't suffer for Jesus sake they're people in this world are suffering for Jesus sake it may come a time in this country that you suffer for Jesus great it's like but we have been called to do the same thing Paul's call today he's going out with the message of Christ and he's gonna suffer for standing for Christ if we go out in this community in this world for Jesus Christ we're gonna witness and possibly suffer for his sake well what happened so Ananias departed and entered the house and after laying his hands on him said brother Saul the Lord Jesus appeared to you on the road by which you were coming has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit so anodize goes and he goes to the one who was going to be killing them he's now a believer what does he call Saul in this passage what does he call him brother see he he's in the family of God If any man be in Christ he's a new creation as many as received him to them he gave the right to become what children of God swims of God he's a brother you all of us in this room are brothers and sisters we have a Heavenly Father see God is not the father of all people God is the creator of all people God is the father of those who have believed in Jesus Christ that's what we call children of God and so he calls him brother notice and an ester party near the house and after laying on his hands he said brother Saul the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road but what you're coming sent me so you may regain your sight that's what the vision was all about and you may be filled with the Holy Spirit this is powerful and so look what happens immediately there feel from is I something like scales and he regained his sight and he got it was baptized and he took food and was strengthened I will stop there I won't read the rest of the verse because it says for several days he was there and we're gonna talk about what happens after this in fact the truth is which you may not realize this you can read the rest of the passage but there is over a three year time period in the rest of this passage and we'll see it next time as we put it together why was he baptized baptism is for identification because he had put his faith in Jesus Christ as Savior he is identified as one of this new way that's what he's doing because he has trusted Christ as Savior he took food what he been what did he been doing for three days and been eating or drinking anything he'd been fast and he had been praying he'd been saying Lord you saved me I can't say what do you have for me to do what do you have for me to do he has that vision of a man coming here comes the man but the same thrown him as like scales it falls from his eyes this is just the beginning if you love Paul like I do you're saying this is funny this is God I want to see the rest of this guy's life what is he going to do and we'll see what he does and if we could just and let me just say this there's no telling what God has for each of you where he wants you to go what she wants you to do it doesn't matter all that matters is you just be faithful what have we seen we've seen spall the Pharisee or saw the Pharisees the persecutor the church goes to Damascus he trusts his Christ as Savior he makes the decision to serve and now he has a ministry which is witnessing and suffering so let me give you some applications first of all understand that salvation is in the person of Christ salvation is in Christ salvation is not in works or goodness or rules or obedience to any list of things it is the person of Christ he is the one who died and rose again salvation is by grace through faith just as Ephesians 2:8 9 says by grace through faith in Christ it's not of ourselves it's the gift of God and so remember we're trusting in Christ I talked about it in Sunday school and sometimes people say things what must you do to be saved and they'll say you just have to believe and I'll go believe what believe in who is not just faith it's faith in Christ for eternal life you're trusting in Jesus Christ by the way if Paul can be saved any of us any any human being could be saved and if our people in your family that have been anti and they've said to you I don't ever talk to me about it I don't believe in this stuff anyway just know that one day no telling that just keep praying that they'll come to know Christ because who knows one day they may trust in Jesus Christ as Savior second let's be obedient to serve our Savior as Paul was obedient to serve he said what do you want me to do maybe each of us in this room you know Christ maybe need to ask the question Lord what do you want me to do do you want me to where do you want me to go I want to offer my life as a living sacrifice to you the gifts the talents the abilities that God has given to each of us use them for his glory salvation cost us nothing our service cost us our lives last but not least be faithful to witness and expect to suffer now I wish that part wasn't in there and I wish you to just told Paul you're gonna be a great witness and I wish that he said in Philippians 1:29 it is called for us to believe in Jesus Christ but he ended every place he put and also to suffer for his sake so we need to be faithful to tell people the good news of Jesus Christ and as I've said many times if you don't feel confident like if you said I when I go out these doors I don't know if I feel for that enough to share my faith then you call me we've got classes we've got people that meet with you we will make sure you feel confident when you have the opportunities that you can share your faith the second things is expect that there may be persecution expect to suffer when you stand for Jesus Christ and I mean you stand for Christ and like college students I tell you I've watched it when you go on that campus and you go into classes and everybody's making fun of stuff and you say you believe the Bible is God's Word and that Jesus is the only way of salvation there will be people jump all over you because they they say and who do you think you are saying you're the only one right you said no I'm not the only one right Jesus is the only one right and I've trusted in him he's the way the truth and the life and no one comes to the Father except through him may our lives count for Jesus Christ as we proclaim him in a fallen world you

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Keywords: Bible Study, JB Bond, Stillwater Bible Church, stwbible, Stillwater Bible, Jesus Christ, gospel

Id: WR1cg3RdyKY

Length: 37min 38sec (2258 seconds)

Published: Tue Sep 24 2013