Spurling Silver: Can people change? Acts 9:1-31

Can people change?

Can a leopard change its spots?

Or, is it just something we watch happen once a year to Ebenezer Scrooge, in, A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens?

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

This is the third time we’ve heard Saul mentioned.

At the end of chapter seven and the beginning of chapter eight, he’s the young man who watched the coats for those who stoned Stephen, and was consenting to his death.

After that, great persecution broke out against the Church, and now Saul is leading the charge; a fire breathing antichrist.

Who is this, Saul?

He’s not like your Soros funded rioter for hire, he’s educated and of the elite class of Israel.

Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin. Philippians 3:5.

Saul of Tarsus was born around 5 AD in the city of Tarsus in Cilicia (in the area of modern-day Turkey). He was born to Jewish parents with Roman citizenship, a privilege he too possessed.

In about 10 AD, Saul’s family moved to Jerusalem, where, as a lad of about 12 years old, he began an in-depth study of the Hebrew Scriptures under the famous and respected, Rabbi Gamaliel (Acts 5).

Saul was a pharisee, and son of a pharisee, (Acts 23:6). He knew the Word of God, but didn’t know the God of the Word.

So, with violent, arrogant, ignorance, he found himself fighting against the very God he vowed to serve.

I’ll apologize to Paul for saying this, but his early days were not so different from the Islamic terrorist shouting Allah Akbar (God is greatest) and then slaughtering innocents, all the while thinking they are doing God service.

By the way, the high priest here is Caiaphas, he is the one that condemned Jesus, persecuted Peter and John (Acts 4). Interestingly, archeology eventually catches up with the Bible, and not so long ago, about 1990, a bone box was discovered in Jerusalem, with the name Caiaphas written on it. They believe this belonged to this Caiaphas.

A bone box is where the bones of a body were stored after about a year in the tomb; making room for another body.

²and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.

Saul turned to the letter of the law to break the Spirit of the law.

The letter kills but the Spirit gives Life. 2 Corinthians 3:6.

Live by the fruit of the Spirit of Life, against such is no law.

He did not know the Author of Life; so, he weaponized the law as an instrument of death.

Damascus, one of oldest cities in the world, is about 130 miles north of Jerusalem. It was and still is the capital of Syria. Many believe that one day, it will be a heap or ruins, according to, Isaiah 17:1; Damascus will no longer be a city but will become a heap of ruins.

It won’t take much to ignite the place the way Russia and Iran are stock piling ammunitions and weapons there.

Saul was searching for any of the Way. The first name for Christians. A great name. Jesus said, I AM the Way, the Truth, and the Life; John 14:6.

Christianity isn’t just belief, or faith, or a way of life. It is the only Way to Life.

They, men and women of the Way, were found and bound with chains, drug to Jerusalem, imprisoned, beaten, murdered.

³As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven.

He journeyed about 5-6 days, was almost there, it was about noon, and suddenly a light brighter than the noon day sun (Acts 22:6, 26:13).

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

He fell to the ground, (no mention of a horse). However, he may have been riding one.

Jesus takes it personal, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?

If you’ll allow Him, Jesus will be Your defender. In Christ alone, is the safest place to be. In Him, your protection, and provision, and victory is guaranteed.

Dare none of us ever persecute Christ, by mistreating His Church, His Ekklésia, His people, lest you find yourself fighting against God.

It’s a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Hebrews 10:31.

⁵And he said, “Who are You, Lord?”

Great question.

Who are You, Lord?

All must answer. There’s only one right answer.

Who is Lord of your life?

⁵… Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.”

Jesus is Lord.

Many translations omit the phrase it’s hard for you to kick against the goads (KJV: pricks). It was a Greek proverb. A goad or prick was a stick with a pointed piece of iron on the end.

Now days we use a hotshot, or cattle prod; a stick with a tip that delivers a shock to get the livestock moving in the right direction. They only make it harder on themselves if they kick against the pricks.

The Lord was trying to direct Saul, but he was kicking against the Lord’s prodding.

⁶So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?”

Another great questions from Saul.

What do You want me to do?

After settling in your soul that Jesus is Lord of your life; then ask, Lord, what do You want me to do?

Then, be ready for the time of your life.

Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

Arise, go, obey. Repeat.

Arise shine for thy Light has come and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. Isaiah 60:1

Go into all the world and preach the gospel. Mark 16:15.

If you are willing and obedient you shall eat the good of the land. Isaiah 1:19.

Walk with Jesus one step at a time.

Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, a light unto my path, Psalm 119:105.

⁷And the men who journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice but seeing no one.

The Word of God is Spiritually discerned. 1 Corinthians 2:14.

One may hear, another may be falling asleep.

Radio waves are flowing through this room right now—only by tuning to the right frequency can you hear it.

Lord, please help to hear You.

⁸Then Saul arose from the ground, and when his eyes were opened he saw no one. But they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus.

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

Saul was blinded by the Light of this world, so he could see and know the Light of the world.

¹⁰Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and to him the Lord said in a vision, “Ananias.”

And he said, “Here I am, Lord.”

Jesus only needed to say his name, and Ananias knew, it was the Lord.

Here I am, Lord.

Be ever listening for Him to whisper your name, be ever ready to respond, “Here I am, Lord.”

If you are. He will.

¹¹So the Lord said to him, “Arise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus, for behold, he is praying.

Arise and go, straight, is the Word of the Lord. The directions are simple, clear, but they may seem hard, strange, scary; Saul of Tarsus, is someone to run from, not go to.

Arise and go, straight to that one you need to make amends with.

Arises and go, straight to the place you should be.

Arise and go, straight…

¹²And in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him, so that he might receive his sight.”

Ananias, go, because Saul saw a vision of you putting your hands on him, so he can see again.

That’d be cool, right? God tells you there’s a blind guy, and you’re going to lay hands on him so he can see.

Awesome! Let’s roll.

¹³Then Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem. ¹⁴And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name.”

You want to use me to heal a blind guy, that’s awesome Lord, but, but, the blind guy’s a bad guy.

Haven’t you heard?

Do You want me to get arrested?

Lord, that man Saul is past the point of no return, he’s too far gone.

Maybe it’d be better to just leave him blind.

¹⁵But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel.

A chosen vessel? You’ve got to be kidding.

¹⁶For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake.”

Oh, he’s going to suffer? Why didn’t you say so? I’m on my way.

The Lord wasn’t kidding, Saul suffered A LOT. 2 Corinthians 11:23-27.

¹⁷And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”

¹⁸Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized.

If you’ve been saved, you also want to be filled with the Holy Spirit, and also be baptized in water.

¹⁹So when he had received food, he was strengthened. Then Saul spent some days with the disciples at Damascus.

²⁰Immediately he preached the Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God.

Jesus is Lord.

²¹Then all who heard were amazed, and said, “Is this not he who destroyed those who called on this name in Jerusalem, and has come here for that purpose, so that he might bring them bound to the chief priests?”

Dear Christian, the world will want to remind you of who you once were before being born again.

But you just tell them, that person’s dead.

²²But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who dwelt in Damascus, proving that this Jesus is the Christ.

Proving. The Lord has left the world undeniable proof.

It takes more faith than I possess to not to believe the Bible and everything it says.

²³Now after many days were past, the Jews plotted to kill him. ²⁴But their plot became known to Saul. And they watched the gates day and night, to kill him.

The very ones who once stood with Saul, promoted Saul, used him as their weapon of mass destruction, now turn against him like ravenous wolves.

Stop chanting the mantra of the crowd you’re with and you’ll find out real fast who loves you.

²⁵Then the disciples took him by night and let him down through the wall in a large basket.

The disciples, the very people Saul showed up to arrest, drag to prison, beat, and murder. They take Saul in, help him, protect him, love him.

That’s who you are dear Church, the body of Christ, walking in His Love.

²⁶And when Saul had come to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples; but they were all afraid of him, and did not believe that he was a disciple.

They couldn’t believe that the same guy who left with letters to steal, kill and destroy their brothers, was the same guy who just strolled back in saying let’s be friends.

²⁷But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. And he declared to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, and that He had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus.

Barnabus the encourager stood up for Saul.

Be a Barnabus to someone.

And, you need someone to be a Barnabus to you.

If you don’t have anyone, let us know, we’ll be your Barnabus.

²⁸So he was with them at Jerusalem, coming in and going out. ²⁹And he spoke boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus and disputed against the Hellenists, but they attempted to kill him.

The Hellenists were the ones that, with Saul’s consent, rose up against Stephen to have him stoned.

But now, they want to kill Saul too.

The antichrist behavior isn’t real creative, they follow the same mode of operation; kill, steal, destroy.

³⁰When the brethren found out, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him out to Tarsus.

Once again, they do what the Church does, help him, protect him, love him.

³¹Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied.

Can a leopard change its spots?

Can people change?

Or, is it just something we watch happen once a year to Ebenezer Scrooge, in, A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens?

John Newton thinks so. He called himself an arrogant, rebellious, recklessly sinful wretched slave trader, who changed, and wrote our beloved hymn, Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me.

Saul, who we now know as Paul the apostle, thinks so. He wrote almost half of the books of the New Testament, (13 of the 27 books).

He wrote, 2 Corinthians 5:17; Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

He also wrote in Philippians 3:8-11, that he counts everything but dung, compared to the excellency of knowing Him, the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His suffering, being conformed (changed) to His death, that I may obtain resurrection from the dead.

And he wrote: Galatians 2:20, I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I but Christ lives in me…

Most importantly, God thinks so. He sees the end from the beginning, He didn’t force Saul, but He saw Saul would turn around, repent, change, and follow hard after Him.

What does He see when He looks at you?

Will you allow Him to change you, to take you from glory to glory, so when He looks at you, He sees His glorious Bride without spot or wrinkle?

He loves you just as you are, but He loves you too much to keep you that way.

Let’s pray.

Lord, change us, rearrange us, to be formed and fashioned after Your will.

We die to ourselves and commit to following You, wholly, completely, forever and always.

We love You, forever, amen.

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