Sermon Tone Analysis

How to Know I Am Saved

Acts 9:1-9

Sermon by Rick Crandall

Grayson Baptist Church - Jan. 19, 2014

BACKGROUND:

*Tonight, we will explore one of the most important meetings in all of human history: The meeting that took place on the road to Damascus, when our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ appeared to the Christ-hating radical Jew, Saul of Tarsus.

I can think of no other meeting in the New Testament that had more impact on God's Word, on our lives, and on our world.

*John Phillips helps us understand Paul's mindset as he left Jerusalem for Damascus.

Phillips said, "Our attention is now drawn back to Saul of Tarsus and his campaign of persecution against the church, instigated by the boldness and martyrdom of Stephen.

*Saul was an intellectual giant, farsighted enough to see that there could be no peaceful coexistence between militant Judaism and militant Christianity.

Whatever his teacher Gamaliel might have advised about moderation, Saul saw the incompatibility of the two faiths.

*Either Judaism was right and Christianity was apostasy, or Christianity was right and Judaism was obsolete.

Saul’s birth, beliefs, and background all drove him into a head-on confrontation with the Christians.

He concluded, logically enough from his own biased point of view, that Christ was a blasphemer and Christianity a cult.

Because Jesus of Nazareth was dead, nothing could be done about Him.

Christianity, however, was something else; the sooner it was dead and buried too, the better for everyone.

*We can see how Saul arrived at his conclusion.

Jesus had not only claimed to be Israel’s Messiah, but had claimed to be the Son of God.

Yet He had died on a Roman cross.

The Jewish law said, 'Cursed is every one that hangs on a tree' (Galatians 3:13).

Jesus had been hanged on a tree, and so He was cursed by God and could in no way have been the Son of God.

He therefore was a blasphemer, and the sooner the semi-Jewish cult devoted to His worship was eradicated, the sooner Judaism and the world would be purged of a terrible heresy.

*Such would have been Saul’s reasoning. . .

So in vs. 1, we see Saul 'breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord.'

The word for 'slaughter' is the Greek word 'phonos,' which occurs ten times in the New Testament, and which is always translated 'murder' except here and in Hebrews 11:37.

Saul now set himself to get rid of the church by means of intimidation and murder."

(1)

*With this background in mind, let's stand in honor of God's Word, as we read Acts 1:1-9.

INTRODUCTION:

*We surely are looking at one of the most important meetings in all of human history.

And in these pivotal verses, Saul thought he was on the road to Damascus.

But he was about to take an upward turn onto the road to Heaven!

*God was about to start turning the Christ-hating Saul into the Apostle Paul.

And Saul was saved.

But what does it mean to be saved?

And how can I know that I am saved?

God's Word shows us in this Scripture.

1. First: I stop relying on my own righteousness.

*We cannot be saved until we stop relying on our own righteousness.

Saul was certainly relying on his own virtue in vs. 1-2:

1.

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

2. and 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.

*When it came to religion, nobody ever tried harder than Saul.

No one was ever more zealous.

Years later, Paul described how we was before and after he met the Lord.

It was a total transformation, and a total transfer of where Paul placed his trust.

*In Philippians 3:1-9, Paul wrote:

1.

Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord.

For me to write the same things to you is not tedious, but for you it is safe.

2. Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the mutilation!

3.

For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh,

4. though I also might have confidence in the flesh.

If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so:

5. circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee;

6. concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.

7.

But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ.

8.

But indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ

9. and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith.

*Wayne Lawson explained that "Paul was born to a prominent Jewish family in Tarsus.

It was capital of the Roman province in what is now modern-day Turkey.

We know his parents were prominent citizens, because Paul was a Roman citizen from birth.

And citizenship had to be granted by a significant Roman government official.

*At the same time, Paul had a rich Jewish heritage.

He was a Jew among Jews, born into the tribe of Benjamin.

Paul was also very religious, blameless according to the Law of Moses, a Pharisee among Pharisees, very zealous for the faith of his fathers, and absolutely convinced that he was doing the will of God

*On top of that, Paul was very well educated, trained at the feet of Gamaliel, one of Israel’s greatest teachers of the day.

And Paul was ambitious.

He advanced quickly up the ranks of the Pharisees with ability, desire and talent far above his peers.

Paul was also loyal.

He sought out the permission and approval of the High Priest before he acted."

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*That all sounds pretty good, but here’s the problem: In vs. 1, Saul was "breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord."

He was full of bitterness and hatred.

Saul hated anything and anyone who could be a threat to the things that he believed.

*Saul was trusting in his own wisdom, in his own heart.

But Jeremiah 17:9 says: "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; Who can know it?"

Left to ourselves we will get it wrong every time.

Left to ourselves we will be dead wrong.

We can never be saved by our own goodness or efforts, so we must stop relying on our own righteousness.

2. How can I know that I am saved?

I stop relying on my own righteousness.

-- And God gets my attention.

*The Lord got Saul’s attention in vs. 3-4:

3.

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

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

*Talk about a wake-up call!

As James May once said, "God showed up and interrupted Saul’s plans.

God shot a laser beam of light out of the throne room of Heaven and knocked Saul to the ground.

Suddenly all of the education, the plans, the hatred, the condemnation that had been controlling Saul was erased.

In one quick flash, Saul became the accused and the condemned.

The God of Heaven had hunted down the hunter and felled his prey."

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*The truth is that sometimes, just like Saul, God has to knock us down to lift us up.

But thank God He is willing to get our attention!

Is God trying to get your attention?

I guarantee you that He is.

And just like Paul, God will meet you where you are.

*But we have to let God speak to us according to His perfect will.

It will not be a blinding flash for most people.

I used to wish something like that would have happened to me.

Maybe you have wished that too.

But I have changed my mind on that.

The truth is that there are a lot of less traumatic and painful ways for the Lord to get our attention.