The Conversion of Saul

The Conversion of Saul

Acts 9:1-31

Imagine for a moment that this is the week of Saul’s arrival at Damascus. By this time Saul has gained a reputation as the ringleader of the movement to make Christianity extinct. A devout Hellenistic Jew, of the tribe of Benjamin, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, Saul was a member of the Pharisees and was taught by none other than Gamaliel, whom we have already met (Acts 5:34-40). Saul did not agree with his teacher, Gamaliel, on how the Christians should be dealt with, however. Rather, he sought the arrest, trial, conviction, and punishment (with imprisonment the norm and death the ideal, it would seem) of those in Jerusalem. His career as a persecutor of Christians seems to have begun with Stephen, but it quickly spread to all of the Christians in Jerusalem (Acts 7:58–8:3). Saul was not content to punish some and to drive the rest from the “holy city.” He did not want to merely contain Christianity or to drive it from Jerusalem; he wanted to rid the earth of Christianity and its followers. Thus, his opposition to Christ and His church took on a “missionary” spirit. Saul went to other cities where he sought to arrest Christians and to bring them back to Jerusalem for punishment. Damascus, a city some 150 miles to the northeast of Jerusalem, was one such city. Word was out that Saul would soon be arriving.

A. What made Saul so zealous to persecute the church? Acts 8:1-3

1. 1 Tim. 1:12 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service. 13 Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief.

2. How do we know Saul was obedient to and respected authority? Acts 9:1-2

3. Did Saul have a missionary zeal before he met Christ?

4. John 16:2 They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God. 3 They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me.

5. What did he say after he became a Christian about that same zeal he saw in his brothers? Rom. 10:2

6. What do you suppose Saul thought had happened to Jesus before he met him? (still dead)

Conclusion: Saul did not know the Father or Jesus

B. What changed Saul?

1. What does the fact that we have 3 accounts of Saul’s conversion in Acts indicate?

a. Did Saul use his conversion story when he preached to others? Acts 9,22,&26

b. Can a personal testimony be persuasive? Are their hazards in doing this?

2. Do you think the Lord chose Saul to get him to quit persecuting the church or because he needed Saul’s service?

a. Paul’s conclusion –Rom 1:1 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God—

b. What assets did Paul possess that could be useful for the glory of God?

c. Do you think God set each one of us apart for service? Eph. 2:10

3. Do you think the disciples in Damascus were praying for Saul to be saved?

a. What do the reactions of the disciples show us? Acts 9:13-14; 26

b. How would they have reacted if they had been praying for him?

4. Do you think Saul was converted to Christ right there on the Damascus road?

5. What was it that Jesus told Saul when he confronted him outside Damascus?

a. Acts 9:6 "Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do."

b. Acts 22:10 "'What shall I do, Lord?' I asked. "'Get up,' the Lord said, 'and go into Damascus. There you will be told all that you have been assigned to do.'

§ A person must “do” something in response to Christ

§ When the Lord tells us to do something and we don’t do it – that is disobedience

c. Acts:26 16 'Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen of me and what I will show you. 17 I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them 18 to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.'

§ Paul was sent to do his part and the Lord would do his part

§ When we “open our eyes” we are forgiven and set apart by faith

d. The Lord also told Ananias, Acts 9:15 But the Lord said to Ananias, "Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. 16 I will show him how much he must suffer for my name."

e. Did Paul suffer in his efforts to save the Jew and Gentiles? 2 Cor. 11:23-28

6. Was Saul’s conversion typical of what we see in the book of Acts?

7. Do you think Paul had heard the message?

8. Can we learn anything about evangelism from his conversion?

a. Do some people need to knocked off their “high horse?”

b. Is blinding people a good way to reach them with the truth about Christ? Acts 13:11

c. How did blindness help Saul to see?

C. What is the evidence of Saul’s conversion?

1. To see our need for Christ we must first see ourselves as sinners. Did Paul have a grasp of his sinfulness? “.. I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man…” 1 Cor. 15: 9 For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.1 Tim. 15 Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners--of whom I am the worst. 16 But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life. (also “Oh, wretched man…”)

2. What does it mean to be “converted” to Christ?

3. Do we have unconverted people in the church today?

4. How can I tell if I am converted to Christ? (converted to the church?)

5. What did Saul do immediately after he obeyed the gospel? Acts 9:20

6. Was it important to convince the Jews of the identity of Jesus?

a. Was this something that was crucial to Saul’s faith?

b. Should we stress this fact when we preach to unbelievers? Why?

7. Notice how strongly Paul preaches the true identity of Christ

a. Acts 9:22-24

b. Acts 9:27-30 (first debates)

8. Do you think that Saul’s conversion has anything to do with the start of the “time of peace” described in verse 31?

Conclusion

Before being blinded, Paul couldn't see Christ. He could only see a threat to his beliefs.

Can really bad people be forgiven through Christ? Just ask Paul