The Journey That Changed My Life

Rev. Dr. Sheldon K. Pleasant

Sermon • Submitted 3 years ago

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Proposition: God can used Unexpected circumstances to get our attention. Purpose: Remind us that we should pay attention to unusual circumstances, situations, and conditions.

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Transcript

Introduction

A certain atheistic barber was conversing with a minister as they rode through the slums of a large city. The unbeliever would say to the minister, "If there is a loving God, how can he permit all this poverty, suffering, and violence among these people? Why doesn’t he save them from all this?"

Just then a disheveled bum crossed the street. He was unshaven and filthy, with long scraggly hair hanging down his neck. The minister pointed to him and said, "You are a barber and claim to be a good one, so why do you allow that man to go unkempt and unshaven?"

"Stumbling and stammering over his words" the barber stuttered, "he never gave me a chance to fix him up."

This is how we find Saul today. A man who feels no need of Jesus Christ. A man who thinks that his life is all that it should be and all that God wants it to be not knowing that such an attitude is a rejection of the very God who said all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

Saul was a Pharisee. To really appreciate what God did in the life of Saul you would need to know and understand what a Pharisee is. A pharisee was not an official representative of the Jewish religion. Judiasm was around a long time before the Pharisees came on the scene. They were highly zealous. Not zealous of the right things but extremely zealous. They amplified and exagerated the Jewish religion and pushed it to the limit. They were a learned and educated group of people. Their education afforded them the false notion that they were more righteous than others. They were arrogant, self righteous and hypocrytical. They lacked a sense of justice. They took to task anyone who did not take the law literally. In one sense they felt so righteous that they felt they had no sin, that they were perfect and always in good standing with God.

Saul was not only numbered with the pharisees, he mentions that he surpassed his equals being more zealous than they. Whatever a pharisee thought himself to be, Saul was it to the 10th power. They were antogonistic towards Jesus. They didnt really have a legitimate problem with Jesus. They were just that type of people. They thought something as simple as washing your hands deserved to questioned and at the very least judged. They would question whether or not you are really fit to be considered righteous just because you didn’t wash your hands before eating. Washing your hands back then did not mean the same thing it means today. Back then it had more of a ritualistic kind of meaning.

Not only does the bum in our story today have something in common with Saul. In a more spiritual way people arent Christian because they reject or they do not ask nor seek the grace of God that comes through Jesus Christ. This is true of the Pharisee. I use that word in the presesnt tense, yet in allorgorical way because while the Pharisees of old may be extinct, there are still some folks around that are pharisaic in their attitude, pharisaic in their religion, pharisaic in there compassion for one another.

This kind of pharisaic disposition drives a person to the extreme. Saul was at the extreme. It was not enough for him to be content with his pursecution locally. His self righteousness drove him a 140 miles to pursecute christians he didnt even know. I’m here to tell you self righteouness will make you do things that soberminded people will never do. Self righteousness is dangerous. It will set you on a course that will bring you unexpected circumstances, situtations, and conditions. Saul when he decided to follow the impulses of his own self righteousness, he went to the high preist to request authority to go the synagogues and arrest any claiming to be disciples of the Lord.

Jump in lets take a ride and follow Saul down the Damascus road. Between mile marker 3-5 (Verse 3-5) we pull up on a big commotion on the shoulder of the highway. Us being the warm, willing and windsome christians that we are, we get out the car to see what the big commotion is all about. To our amazment Saul has been stopped by an unexpected traveler.

I. The Unexpected Traveler Vs 3-5

A. Here the cliche “expect the unexpected” is no where on Saul’s radar of expectation.

Saul has no idea that he is outside of the will of God.

He has no idea that his life is about to take a drastic turn.

He has no idea that there is someone who has been watching his every move.

He has no idea that The Lord Jesus Christ Himself is about to send him on a Journey That will Change His Life forever.

As we approach the scene we discover that Saul is in a conversation with a man who’s voice was so powerful that knocked Saul to the ground. I mean text say he fell to the earth. This is no stumble, this is no trip an fall, this word hints at the idea that this was violent fall to the ground.

SAUL SAUL!!!

B. Saul being a Pharisee one learned in the scriptures would recognize the double Vocative.

Seemed to be reminiscent of his studies when God called Moses on Sinai and got him ready to go to Egypt and tell Pharoah to let my people go. He called him double vocatively, Moses, Moses take off thy shoes for the place where you stand is holy ground.

Seemed to be reminiscent of his studies when God called out to Abraham in that unmistakable, and undeniable double vocative tone, Abraham, Abraham.

It was reminiscent of the time when God called out to Jacob when He sent to him to Egypt and promise to make a great nation out him.

When He called Samuel to be a prophet God used a double vocative to let him know it was the God of his fore fathers whos calling him.

It was this double vocative call that God knew Saul would recognize and cause Saul to have an epiphanic moment that would evoke a response out of Saul that He had to recogonize who it is that’s calling his name. It would seem to me that the epiphany was so powerful one would look around at the company of people with him and say hush, somebody is calling my name.

H. You who may be listening to me, you’re on a journey and you wonder why there is a constant pulling on your life. It’s God calling you over and over and over again and you have yet to respond to the call on your life.

You ignoring the call don’t make God stop calling you. He keeps on calling you because He is patient with us.

I. I come to report that the Lord’s harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.

Wait minute you say, pull over up there at mile marker 6 (Verse 6) we forgot something. Saul seem to be going in a different direction now. Say he has taken an Unexpected Detour.

II. Unexpected Detours Vs 6

A. Detours do not occur all the time due the route of the journey, but sometimes they occur due to the objective of the journey. The reason for the journey will often determine the route to get there.

Remember he was heading to the synagogues in Damascus to arrest Christians and bring them back to Jeruselam.

Saul traveled the long Damascus road. Some 130 to 140 miles. A seven day journey.

During that journey he had time to think about Stephen. Especially Stephen’s last words of a prayer, praying that The Lord would not hold them killing him against them. That had stuck with Saul.

He never did make sense of that because remember he is a Pharisee who knew the law. The law said eye for an eye. Yet this man is praying for the ones killing him.

Saul wrestled with this. He had time to think about it as he journey to Damascus.

B. While on the way he thought and he thought. He got a 140 miles to travel.

That is no short drive in this day and time. He had a lot of time to think. Text doesn’t tell us his company kept him company.

As he thought along the way he would pass by many of the places where he heard stories of what Jesus did.

That where they said he fed 5000 with 2 fish and five loaves of bread.

That where they say the woman touched the him of His garment

Thats where they said He spit on the ground mad paste and told the man to go wash

Thats where they said he healed a man with leprosy.

That where they say he healed a woman who touched the him of his garment.

That where they say he called lazarus from the grave.

C. As he road he thought and as he thought he rode along on his beast. Wondering if the stories are true. As he journeyed possibly he thought about how closely Jesus and Stephen praying practically the same prayer for the ones killing them. Then out of no where suddenly a light Knocked him to the ground. That light was so bright and the voice so clear it produced in Saul a New understanding.

In the Luke and Acts Light is often metaphor for understanding. But Saul is not the only one who benefits from the voice, call, and the light of the gospel. There some who are listening to me today that has be cought in light, they walk in the, the talk in the light.

Ive been changed

III. Unexpected Affirmation Vs. 17

A. It’s almost as if the Lord and Ananias was having it about about Sual much like God was having it out Moses about going to Egypt to tell Pharoah to free the people.

Here God is telling Ananias to go and lay hands on Saul. Ananias is like Lord you know this man is bad news. He aint up to know good.

Lord say to him I got use for him. I got a plan for his life. He on the right road now.

Ananias may have had his resevations about Saul, but on the word of The Lord he went to do what The Lord required Him to do.

BROTHER SAUL.

B. Let me tell you something, folk has a lot to say about the preacher and the church. They talk bad about the church but I dont know any other movement, or organization that has done a greater job at encouraging and affirming people than the church.

Ananias could have been disobedient and put on Saul’s Resume what he did and who he was. but thats not what he did.