Sermon Tone Analysis

Acts 9:1–6 (CSB)

1 Now Saul was still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord.

He went to the high priest 2 and requested letters from him to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any men or women who belonged to the Way, he might bring them as prisoners to Jerusalem.

3 As he traveled and was nearing Damascus, a light from heaven suddenly flashed around him. 4 Falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”

5 “Who are you, Lord?” Saul said.

“I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting,” he replied.

6 “But get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

The cost of following Jesus in the Middle East

He Changed Me: The Text In Its Context

Acts is a historical record of the acts of the early church written by Luke.

Having described the first major result of Stephen’s martyrdom—the ministry of Philip the evangelist—Luke now takes up a second consequence of the martyr’s death, in the person of a ‘young man named Saul’ (7:58).

Saul was an up-and-coming defender of his faith.

He approved of killing heretics like Stephen and was eager to see the Christian church in Jerusalem destroyed.

As he tells us himself, he was motivated in all of this by an extreme zeal for the traditions of his fathers (Gal.

1:14), for, according to the ‘strictest sect’ of the Jews’ religion, he ‘lived as a Pharisee’ (Acts 26:5).

Conversion Is An Intensely Personal Experience

Paul’s conversion on the road to Damascus has often been seen as the best example of what it means to come to Jesus.

The transformation of Saul of Tarsus into Paul the apostle has long been regarded as the great example of what it means for someone to be converted to Christ.

The ‘Damascus road experience’ has often been thought of as a standard for true conversion to Christ, as if anyone who did not have a dramatic conversion was possibly not truly converted.

Yet Scripture shows that conversion don’t have to be as dramatic as Paul’s.

The Philippian jailer is dramatic, but not identical to Paul’s experience.

Acts 16:27–33 (CSB)

27 When the jailer woke up and saw the doors of the prison standing open, he drew his sword and was going to kill himself, since he thought the prisoners had escaped.

28 But Paul called out in a loud voice, “Don’t harm yourself, because we’re all here!”

29 The jailer called for lights, rushed in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas.

30 He escorted them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

31 They said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.”

32 And they spoke the word of the Lord to him along with everyone in his house.

33 He took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds.

Right away he and all his family were baptized.

Think of Nathaniel’s peaceful realization that Jesus is God John 1:43-51

John 1:43–51 (CSB)

43 The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee.

He found Philip and told him, “Follow me.” 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the hometown of Andrew and Peter.

45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the law (and so did the prophets): Jesus the son of Joseph, from Nazareth.”

46 “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”

Nathanael asked him.

“Come and see,” Philip answered.

47 Then Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said about him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.”

48 “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.

“Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you,” Jesus answered.

49 “Rabbi,” Nathanael replied, “You are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel!” 50 Jesus responded to him, “Do you believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree?

You will see greater things than this.”

51 Then he said, “Truly I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

Or the Eunuch meeting Phillip in Acts 8:36-40

Acts 8:36–40 (CSB)

36 As they were traveling down the road, they came to some water.

The eunuch said, “Look, there’s water.

What would keep me from being baptized?”

38 So he ordered the chariot to stop, and both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him.

39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him any longer but went on his way rejoicing.

40 Philip appeared in Azotus, and he was traveling and preaching the gospel in all the towns until he came to Caesarea.

How about Lydia in Acts 16:14-15

Acts 16:14–15 (CSB)

14 A God-fearing woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, was listening.

The Lord opened her heart to respond to what Paul was saying.

15 After she and her household were baptized, she urged us, “If you consider me a believer in the Lord, come and stay at my house.”

And she persuaded us.

All conversions lead to faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, as well as repentance from our sin.

But Paul’s conversion is unlikely to ever be repeated.

Actually I believe it it cannot be repeated.

Why?

Because it was effected by a personal post-resurrection appearance of the risen Christ which had the express purpose of setting him apart as an apostle!

(22:14–15; 26:16–18; 1 Cor.

9:1; 15:7).

The first step in anyone’s salvation, is the sovereign initiative of God.

For Paul, that was a unique self-revelation of the risen Christ in the blinding light of his glory.

For all who will ever come to Christ, it is the invisible, effectual calling of the Word and Spirit of God, together with the Spirit’s regeneration of the heart and the subsequent conscious turning of the sinner to the Lord in the repentance and faith of gospel conversion to Christ.

God Chooses Who He Calls

Acts 9:1–2 (CSB)

1 Now Saul was still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord.

He went to the high priest 2 and requested letters from him to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any men or women who belonged to the Way, he might bring them as prisoners to Jerusalem.

Saul was not a nice guy, he knew the OT really, really well.

The Pharisees were rigorous legalists, known for their knowledge of Scripture.

They followed elaborate rules and regulations for faith and life.

But I would not feel comfortable asking somebody like Saul to lead a Bible Study or teach a Sunday School class.

They knew their Bible well but their hearts didn’t belong to God.

Saul had zero love in his religious zeal and knowledge.

Jesus said

Matthew 23:27–28 (CSB)

27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!

You are like whitewashed tombs, which appear beautiful on the outside, but inside are full of the bones of the dead and every kind of impurity.

28 In the same way, on the outside you seem righteous to people, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

Saul and the Pharisees strayed from the truth of the Bible and tried to make righteousness something they could earn and control by following rules.

Their doctrines took away entirely the foundation of the true religion, which is faith being regarded as righteousness.

Romans 4:3–5 (CSB)

3 For what does the Scripture say?

Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness.

4 Now to the one who works, pay is not credited as a gift, but as something owed.

5 But to the one who does not work, but believes on him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited for righteousness.

Saul embraced the beliefs and lifestyle of the Pharisees.

He correctly realized that these followers of the way (Christians) were a dangerous threat to that way of life.

He was desperate to crush it—he breathed out ‘murderous threats’ against the church.

He was obsessed about this.

Acts 26:10–11 (CSB)

10 I actually did this in Jerusalem, and I locked up many of the saints in prison, since I had received authority for that from the chief priests.

When they were put to death, I was in agreement against them.

11 In all the synagogues I often punished them and tried to make them blaspheme.

Since I was terribly enraged at them, I pursued them even to foreign cities.

I wouldn’t have called Saul to teach, but thankfully I don’t pick who is called and who isn’t.

We can all agree that Saul was a bad, bad man.