“FROM SAUL TO PAUL”
ACTS 9:10-31

I. Introduction
Jesus performed miracles when He turned water into wine, when He fed the five thousand, when He stilled a storm, and when He walked upon the Sea of Galilee. He performed mira-cles when He healed the sick, the lame, the deaf, the blind, and the demon-possessed. When He raised Lazarus from the dead that was really a miracle? Raising Lazarus was probably the biggest miracle of them all, wasn’t it?

But do you think the Lord Jesus “ranks” His miracles? Do you think that feeding five thou-sand men with five loaves and two fish is a bigger miracle than turning a cask of water into wine? Do you think that raising the dead is a bigger miracle than cleansing a leper or restor-ing a withered hand? We tend to think like that, don’t we? But who are we to assume that we can rank God’s miracles at all?

Just what is a miracle, anyway? My secular dictionary defines a miracle as “…an event or action that apparently contradicts known scientific laws and is hence thought to be due to supernatural causes…” I suppose that’s a reasonably good definition of a miracle. There’s no doubt that every one of our Lord’s miracles “contradicts known scientific laws.”

But there is coming a day when Satan will be given the power to contradict known scientific laws. He will be enabled to work false miracles that will deceive men and cause them to worship the Antichrist (Revelation 13:11-18). So maybe my secular dictionary’s definition of a miracle is lacking something.

Here’s how “Baker’s Dictionary of Theology” defines a biblical miracle – “…an observable phenomenon effected by the direct operation of God’s power; a deviation from the ordinary sequence of nature.” Including the words, “…the direct operation of God’s power” in the definition makes the whole thing sound much more like Jesus’ miracles, doesn’t it?

But there’s even more to it than that. The miracles Jesus’ performed had a very distinct and specific purpose. Listen to twentieth century theologian Cornelius Van Til…
“By miracle God actually reveals His redeeming work in (the) process of fulfillment. Sin brought every sphere of human life in subjection to misery and death; by miracle God brings all these spheres of life back to health. Through the central miracle of the person and work of Christ the human soul is brought (back) into favor with the living God. Hence in performing His miracles Christ constantly points out that they are symbolical of what He came to do for the souls of men.”

In other words, the miracles that Jesus performed are demonstrations of God’s grace in ful-filling His dual purpose of reversing the curse of sin and revealing His redemptive plan for His people. Therefore, every true miracle will be in accord with God’s plan of salvation.
The point of all of this is to shed light on the fact that our salvation – yours and mine – is a miracle. Not only is it “…an observable phenomenon effected by the direct operation of God’s power; a deviation from the ordinary sequence of nature,” it is also an example to everyone else that God has reversed the curse of sin and revealed His redemption in our lives. It took a miracle to do that. It took a miracle no less miraculous than feeding the five thousand or raising Lazarus from the dead.

When Jesus reached down from heaven and saved Saul of Tarsus on the road to Damascus, He performed a miracle. And what you and I need to understand is that the Lord Jesus per-formed the same miracle when He reached down from heaven and saved us. So if you are a Christian, you’ve already witnessed a miracle. In fact, you’ve been a part of one.

As we come to this morning’s text in the Book of Acts we are reminded that one of the pri-mary lessons to be learned from Saul’s conversion is that salvation originates with God and not with man. God always initiates the process. He chooses, He predestines, He calls, He saves, He justifies, He sanctifies and, when we step into eternity, He will glorify. In all of this we see that it is God who reverses the curse of sin and reveals His redemption.
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II. Review and Scripture Reading
In Acts 9:1-9, Saul of Tarsus, a Christ-hater and persecutor of Christians, was on his was to Damascus for the purpose of finding, arresting, and hauling them off to Jerusalem for trial and execution. But God had other plans for both Saul and the Christians he was seeking.

God saved Saul when Jesus appeared to him on the road and brought to him saving faith. In an instant the one who was on his way to destroy the church was changed by a miracle no less amazing than any other that Jesus performed while He walked this earth. Instead of destroying the body of Christ, Saul became a member of it. In an instant a vain and self-righteous Pharisee was humbled, broken, and temporarily blinded by his encounter with the living Lord Jesus Christ. Instead of leading a group of men into Damascus to wreak havoc among the believers, they led Saul into Damascus to be ministered to by the very ones he came to harm. That’s where we return to the text this morning.
*Acts 9:10-31 (Please stand with me in honor of reading God’s Word.)
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 am I, Lord.”
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 praying,
12 and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay hands on him, so that he might regain his sight.”
13 But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how
much harm he did to Your saints at Jerusalem;
14 and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call upon Your name.”
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;
16 for I will show him how much he must suffer for My name’s sake.”
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 which you were coming, has sent me so that you may regain your sight, and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”
18 And immediately there fell from (Saul’s) eyes something like scales, and he regained his sight, and he arose and was baptized;
19 and he took food and was strengthened. Now for several days he was with the disciples who were at Damascus,
20 and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.”
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 had come here for the purpose of bringing them bound before the chief priests?”
22 But Saul kept increasing in strength and confounding the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that this Jesus is the Christ.
23 And when many days had elapsed, the Jews plotted together to do away with him,
24 but their plot became known to Saul. And they were also watching the gates day and night so that they might put him to death;
25 but his disciples took him by night, and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a large basket.
26 And when he had come to Jerusalem, he was trying to associate with the dis-ciples; and they were all afraid of him, not believing that he was a disciple.
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 how at Damascus he had spoken out boldly in the name of Jesus.
28 And he was with them moving about freely in Jerusalem, speaking out boldly in the name of the Lord.
29 And he was talking and arguing with the Hellenistic Jews; but they were attempting to put him to death.
30 But when the brethren learned of it, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him away to Tarsus.
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 Holy Spirit, it continued to increase.
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III. Text
Do you remember the first real Christian you met after you were saved? I’m not talking about a believer you already knew or the one who led you to the saving faith. I’m talking about one you never knew until then. Did they have an impact on your life? Do they still? In the text we just read we’re going to meet three believers who were among the first Chris-tians to come alongside Saul and befriend him after his conversion. They would provide him with food and shelter, encouragement and comfort, and fellowship and Christian love. And beyond all of that, Saul’s new brothers in Christ would even risk their own lives in order to save his.

In Acts 9:10-12 we’re introduced to the first two Christians that Saul met in Damascus. The first one had common and familiar name – Judas. There are no less than six other men named Judas in the NT. About this Judas we know little but we can surmise a few things.
First, as a Christian in Damascus, Judas would have been one of those whom Saul had come to arrest.
Second, Judas was probably a wealthy man. We’re told that he lived on “…the street called Straight.” (It is still a major thoroughfare in Damascus.) Straight Street might be compared to Michigan Avenue in Chicago. Only the well-to-do could live there.
Third, Judas would have been a courageous man who lived out his faith by taking Saul into his home and caring for him. This is no small thing for Judas. Only a few hours earlier Saul was his mortal enemy.

The second Christian Saul met also had a common and familiar name – Ananias. Two other men by that name are mentioned in the Book of Acts. The first was the one who lied to Peter about his giving back in Acts 5. The second is a high priest we will meet later in the book. The Ananias here in Acts 9 has been chosen by God to go to the home of Judas, lay hands on Saul to restore his sight, baptize him, and introduce him to the Christians in the city of Damascus.

God spoke to Ananias in a vision and told him to go to Judas’ home where he would find Saul praying. But in Acts 9:13-14 Ananias expressed his reluctance to do so because Saul’s mission to Damascus was well-known. Obeying God in this was a severe test of Ananias’ faith and courage. God told him to go to Saul and minister to him. This wasn’t a sugges-tion; it was a command. So in v. 17 Ananias obeyed God, went to Saul and did what God called him to do. The immediate results of Ananias’ obedience will be seen in vv. 18-19.

There’s a lesson for all of us here. When God calls us to minister to someone we are to do it. Our ministry is not based on our feelings or thoughts about what it may or may not accomplish. We need to remember that a sovereign God has a purpose for both the one we are called to serve and for us as well. Ananias could never have imagined what God had in store for Saul. But God told him just enough to encourage Ananias to obey Him.
Acts 9:15-16
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;
16 for I will show him how much he must suffer for My name’s sake.”

Please don’t miss this. The monumental work that the Apostle Paul would do over the next three decades was set in motion by the simple obedience of a man who obeyed the call of the Lord in his life. This is true of the Judas who lived on Straight Street, and it is certainly true of Ananias. So again I ask you – who were the first believers who ministered to you after you came to saving faith? Maybe you’d like to thank them for their role in your new life.

Now look once more at vv. 15-16. They lay the foundation for the rest of the Book of Acts. Paul will become God’s chosen instrument. By Acts 13 he will take center stage. Jesus’ twelve apostles will continue to take the gospel primarily to the Jews throughout the Roman Empire and beyond. But the Apostle Paul will take it to the nations (Gentiles) of the world. As time goes on Paul will repeatedly refer to himself the apostle to the Gentiles. As a result, Saul the persecutor will become Paul the persecuted. He will suffer for Christ as perhaps no other Christian would ever suffer.

Saul, God’s chosen instrument, will carry the name of Christ to the world and he will suffer greatly for it. These are the two tasks that God has put before Saul – carrying the name of Christ, and suffering for it. Do we understand that these are also the two tasks that God has put before each one of us? God has not saved us to make us happy and to give us health and wealth and solve all of our problems. You may not know that if you listen to much of what purports to be evangelism today. The so-called “prosperity gospel” is very much alive among televangelists and embraced by far too many in the modern church.

But that isn’t the message God has for us in vv. 15-16. In Acts 9:15 God says that Saul will be His instrument to reach others for Christ. It is God who saves, not men. But God uses men to reach other men, doesn’t He? So which man did God use to reach Saul? Many theo-logians believe it was Stephen. They met only once, but it was a moment that Saul would never forget. Even as Stephen was being stoned to death he testified to the deity of the Lord Jesus. That dying testimony would affect Saul for the rest of his life.

You and I have been called to be instruments in God’s hands. Listen to J. Vernon McGee…
“I believe that God uses a human instrument in the conversion of every individual, although that individual may not be present at the moment of conversion. That is the reason you and I should cast our influence for the Lord Jesus Christ at all times… I don’t think a person can be converted without a human instrument. So why don’t you be an instrument?”

So the first reason God saved Saul was to make him His instrument, to take the name of Jesus before Gentiles, kings, and the sons of Israel as well.
The Apostle Paul would certainly do that. But there was a second reason God saved Saul. Acts 9:16 tells us, “…for I will show him how much he must suffer for My name’s sake.” Suffer? We are called to suffer for our faith? Our natural response to that probably goes something like this – “I don’t mind being an instrument in God’s hands, but I’m not big on the suffering part.” But being persecuted and suffering for our faith is an essential truth of the gospel. If a preacher ignores that fact, or if he tries to minimize the reality of it, he is not being true to the Word of God, or to his calling. And he does so at his own peril.

We know that Christians can expect to be persecuted in this world. Paul told us…
2 Timothy 3:12
12 And indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.

Jesus told us why Christians can expect to be persecuted in this world. He said…
John 15:18-19
18 “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.
19 “If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.”

So we understand persecution, but why must we suffer? Doesn’t suffering often accompany persecution? Or if suffering doesn’t always accompany persecution, doesn’t it often follow on its heels? Why must we suffer? Why not? Isn’t this fallen world filled with suffering?

Listen, this is important. When it comes to believers, God uses temporal suffering for eter-nal purposes. “For You have tried us, O God; You have refined us as silver is refined (Psalm 66:10).” The psalmist is saying that suffering acts as a purifying agent. It is an essential part of our sanctification in that it serves to make us more like Christ.

“Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will re-ceive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to those who love Him (James 1:12).” Suffering for the Lord teaches us patience. But there is an even better reason for suffering. Listen to a man who knew something about suffering for his faith.
*1 Peter 4:12-16
12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you;
13 but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing; so that also at the revelation of His glory, you may rejoice with exultation.
14 If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.
15 By no means let any of you suffer as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler
16 but if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not feel ashamed, but in that name (Christian) let him glorify God.
We need to remember that we are eternal, but persecution and suffering, no matter how they manifest themselves, are temporary. God loves us and He sees the end from the beginning. He will use our persecutions and sufferings for His glory. What more could we hope for? Peter said, “And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen, and establish you (1 Peter 5:10).” (back to Acts 9)

In vv. 17-19 Saul was filled with the Holy Spirit as the apostles had been filled on the Day of Pentecost. He regained his sight, was baptized, and began to regain his strength. And what were the results?
*Acts 9:20-22
20 and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.”
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 had come here for the purpose of bringing them bound before the chief priests?”
22 But Saul kept increasing in strength and confounding the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that this Jesus is the Christ.

Saul would become the apostle to the Gentiles, but in v. 20 his preaching would begin in the Jewish synagogues where his message would be the message of the church – the gospel. He would proclaim that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Is this not the single greatest truth of Christianity? This truth – the deity of Christ – is the core and the heart of Christianity. So this is where Saul begins – the deity of Christ – and it is where we must begin as well.

In vv. 21-22 the reaction to Saul’s preaching Christ is what you would expect. The people think that they will be hearing from a Pharisee, a representative of the high priest in Jerusa-lem. But now they are hearing from a Christian. But Saul isn’t just any new Christian con-vert. He’s a highly educated Pharisee, a man schooled in the OT. He sat under Gamaliel, one of the greatest of the Jewish scholars. Not only has Saul regained his physical sight, he has been given spiritual sight as well. Now he understands that Jesus of Nazareth has been proclaimed throughout the OT. Not only does he believe it in his heart, but he is uniquely equipped to prove it to the Jews using their own Scriptures. Isn’t this what Jesus had done?

At this point in the narrative we come to a gap in time. Saul would spend a short time in Damascus after his conversion. Then, from the end of v. 22 to the beginning of v. 23, about three years would intervene. Paul’s letter to the Galatians sheds light on this. In Galatians 1:17-18 he says, “…I went away to Arabia, and returned once more to Damascus. Then three years later I went up to Jerusalem to become acquainted with Cephas (Peter)…”

During that three years Saul was not being educated in Gamaliel’s school; he was being pre-pared in God’s. When that preparation was complete Saul returned to Damascus.
In vv. 24-25 the Jews there plotted to murder him, but his brothers in Christ came to his res-cue and helped him escape the city and go on to Jerusalem. It’s worth remembering that Saul’s brothers in Christ are the very people for whom he had originally come to Damascus to persecute, to arrest, and to take to Jerusalem for trial, prison, or execution. They are the ones who risked their lives to save his.

Back in vv. 10-11 we met some of the first believers Saul came in contact with after his con-version. Judas provided him with food and shelter. Then Ananias ministered to him and introduced him to the church in Damascus. Now, three years later in Jerusalem, Saul would meet Barnabas. His name means “son of encouragement.” It is an appropriate name. As Ananias had done for Saul in Damascus, Barnabas would do for Saul in Jerusalem.
*Acts 9:26-28
26 And when he had come to Jerusalem, he was trying to associate with the dis-ciples; and they were all afraid of him, not believing that he was a disciple.
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 how at Damascus he had spoken out boldly in the name of Jesus.
28 And he was with them moving about freely in Jerusalem, speaking out boldly in the name of the Lord.

It should be no surprise – given Saul’s reputation – that the Christians in Jerusalem were no less suspicious of him and his motives than the Christians in Damascus had been three years earlier. But back in Jerusalem Saul had a new problem. His former colleagues in the Sanhe-drin, the Pharisees, and the priests would also have their suspicions. That is, until it became clear that he truly was a Christian. Then they would turn against him with a vengeance.

With regard to Saul’s standing with the Christians, it took Barnabas, another believer like Judas and Ananias in Damascus, who was willing to risk himself and his reputation and con-struct a bridge between the twelve apostles, the church, and Saul. In v. 28 the results of Bar-nabas’ work paid dividends and Saul began preaching the gospel throughout Jerusalem.

What a ministry God gave Barnabas! Without Barnabas’ intervention it’s unlikely that Saul would have been brought into fellowship with the church in Jerusalem. Someone may say, “If God hadn’t used Barnabas, He would have used someone else.” Probably so, but the point is that God called Barnabas to the task, and he responded in obedience. It’s because of that both the church and Barnabas reap eternal blessings. So ask yourself this – has God called you to do something for Him. Will you respond in obedience as did Barnabas? We’ll going to learn more about him as we continue to work through the Book of Acts, but for now, suffice it to say, the church needs more men like Barnabas.

With regard to Saul’s standing with his former colleagues in the Sanhedrin and the rest of the Jews in Jerusalem, there was no Barnabas to intervene for him.
But Saul probably thought that he could preach to his “old friends” and use his considerable intellect and his knowledge of the OT to convince them and the other educated Jews of the truth. He must have thought, “They know me in Jerusalem. I’m one of them. I’ll be able to convince them that Jesus of Nazareth is the promised Messiah.” However, in Acts 9:29, something had changed. Saul the Pharisee was now Paul the Christian, and the Jews were not interested in his message. Just like the Jews in Damascus, the Jews in Jerusalem wanted him dead.

Is history repeating itself? After his three years in Arabia the power of Saul’s preaching had increased to such a degree that when the Jews in Damascus heard it, they wanted to see him dead. Now, in Acts 9:29, the Jews in Jerusalem want the very same thing. (Can you hear Jesus – “If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.”)

Back in v. 25 Saul’s brothers in Christ who helped him escape death in Damascus and flee to Jerusalem. Now, in vv. 29-30, Saul’s brothers in Christ again came to his rescue and he escaped to Tarsus. Saul still had a lot of “growing up” to do. He already had the zeal and the “book learning.” What he needed to learn now was what it took to be a shepherd. He needed to learn things like Christian maturity, personal humility, and compassion for others, all of which take some time to cultivate. Saul will spend the next 7-10 years at his family’s home in Tarsus. We’ll not hear from Saul again until near the end of Acts 11. But in the meantime…
*Acts 9:31
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 Holy Spirit, it continued to increase.

Once more the young church had faced a crisis, and once more God has brought it through that crisis, strengthened it, and blessed it. All of us at Lighthouse need to remember that.
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IV. Conclusion
What can you take with you from today’s text? First, like Judas and Ananias in Damascus, and like Barnabas in Jerusalem, we’re called to minister to those who come to saving faith in Christ. Second, we are called to suffer for that faith. Be assured that it will be worth it!
*Romans 8:16-18
16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,
17 and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him in order that we may also be glorified with Him.
18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

~ Pray ~