May I please God to bless us
this evening as we meditate in his word. Let's turn again to
the Acts of the Apostles in chapter 26 and this evening we'll read from
verse 8 to verse 15. The 26th chapter in the Acts
of the Apostles from verse 8 to verse 15. Why should it be thought a thing
incredible with you that God should raise the dead? I verily
thought with myself that I ought to do many things contrary to
the name of Jesus of Nazareth. Which thing I also did in Jerusalem,
and many of the saints did I shut up in prison, having received
authority from the chief priests. And when they were put to death,
I gave my voice against them. and I punished them oft in every
synagogue, and compelled them to blaspheme, and being exceedingly
mad against them, I persecuted them even unto strange cities. Whereupon, as I went to Damascus
with authority and commission from the chief priests, at midday,
O King, I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness
of the sun, shining round about me, and them which journeyed
with me. And when we were all fallen to
the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew
tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? It is hard for thee
to kick against the pricks. And I said, who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus, whom
thou persecutest. We have of course in this chapter
the words which Paul spoke to Agrippa and Festus and all the
learned people that had gathered together to hear this wonderful
testimony that the Apostle was able to speak. And as we come
down to this eighth verse, he draws our attention to this great
truth of the resurrection. Because he says, why should it
be thought a thing incredible with you that God should raise
the dead? Now these people that he was
speaking to, for the most part they were familiar with the Old
Testament, they were familiar with the account in Genesis that
God had given a record of those things which he had done in the
beginning, and they did not doubt that the Lord had spoken the
world into being. They were happy to accept that
situation. And then of course they had the
evidence really around them year by year as they saw those things
which naturally appeared dead in the ground to spring into
life. And really that gives us some
little view of the wonder of resurrection, how things indeed
can be made alive. And therefore he brings this
to the people's attention and he asks them the question, why
should it be thought a thing incredible with you, that God
should raise the dead. And of course today there are
many people, are there not, perhaps the majority of mankind today
disbelieve the great truths of the Word of God. They think it's
impossible, they think it's incredible, and therefore they do not believe
the wonderful truth of God. Well, what a blessing if we have
been given faith, simple faith, to believe these great and glorious
truths, and to know that there is a God who can raise the dead,
and that he did raise the Lord Jesus Christ from the dead, and
he will raise the whole Church of God at that great last day. And so, may we never think that
this is incredible. The Apostle then goes on, he
says, I've very thought with myself that I ought to do many
things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. He was so
familiar with the Old Testament. He was so familiar that there
would be a Messiah. And yet when the Messiah had
come, he did not believe it was the Messiah. And therefore, he
went about doing so many evil things, so many wrong things,
although he thought he was doing that which was right. I verily
thought with myself." That's the confession of the Apostle. He verily thought with himself
that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus
of Nazareth. And then he comes on to tell
us which things I also did in Jerusalem and many of the saints
that I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief
priests, and when they were put to death, I gave my voice against
them." Well we know of course that he stood when Stephen was
martyred, and we know that he looked after the clothes of those
who stoned Stephen, but it's clear that Stephen was not the
only person that he witnessed, the only person that he desired
to see die, and the only person that did die. And therefore we
have this statement which he confesses, many of the saints
did I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief
priests, and when they were put to death, I gave my voice against
them. He must have felt terrible, mustn't
he, to realise how he'd offended God, how he'd done those things
against the Church of God, how he must have felt so guilty and
so condemned. And yet, we know that the Lord
had mercy upon him. We have such a kind and gracious
God who does not deal with us according to our sins, but is
full of love and full of mercy. He goes on and says, And I punished
them oft in every synagogue, and compelled them to blaspheme,
and being exceedingly mad against them, I persecute him even unto
strange cities." Well, we can have some little view of how
ardent the Apostle was in his enmity against the Christians,
his enmity against the things of God. He did everything possible
to exterminate those who truly believed in the name of the Lord
Jesus Christ. persecuted them so greatly that
they had to flee to other cities. We're not told he goes to anywhere
else apart from going to Damascus, but it would seem from these
words that he tells us, I persecuted them even unto strange cities. The only way they were able to
escape was to go to other cities. So Paul, as we know, was very
prominent in this evil work. And yet he thought he was doing
God's service. He thought he was doing God's
will. But then we come to the wonderful
time in the life of the Apostle Paul. And in a similar way, it's
a wonderful time in the life of the people of God when God
comes to them. God came. quite clearly here
to the Apostle Paul, there was no doubt and he was able to testify
of it without any embarrassment and without any fear because
he knew the Lord was with him and it was God that had worked
in his heart. And therefore he says, whereupon
as I went to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief
priest. He had everything that he needed
to continue in his evil work. And he was full of it, and here
he was on the Damascus road, getting near to Damascus, and
then what happened? At midday, O King, He wanted
everybody to know, and he was directing it, of course, to King
Agrippa, who he'd already said he was pleased to be able to
come and speak before at midday. And it's important that he makes
this point at midday. O King, I saw in the way a light
from heaven above the brightness of the sun, shining round about
me and them which journeyed with me. Now just try and imagine
for a moment, here we have a bright midday sun in the Middle East.
We know how bright the sun's been today, but you know in the
Middle East it's brighter, it's stronger. And here the Apostle
tells us this great truth, that what he saw was a light above
this great brightness. It was so bright, so bright. We mentioned last Tuesday when
speaking of the revelation about the Saviour being the light and
glory. And here was a little evidence
of this wonderful light. The wonderful light displayed
to the Apostle Paul and those that journeyed with him. It shone
round about. It's a wonderful thing, wasn't
it, to realise. And he tells us, and when we
were all fallen to the earth, Well, the light was so overpowering,
it fell down on the earth. Well, I believe in a similar
way, in a much smaller way, but nonetheless when God comes and
shines his light into our hearts, it reveals to us how wrong we've
been and how much mercy we need and to be thankful that Almighty
God has condescended to shine his light of the everlasting
gospel into our hearts and to reveal himself unto us as he
does not unto the world. And therefore we have this statement,
and when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking
unto me. Now, we've seen here that like
Sean, the people that were around him saw the light but they didn't
hear the voice because we're told and when we were all fallen
to the earth i heard a voice speaking unto me and saying in
the hebrew tongue saul saul why persecutest thou me it is hard
for thee to kick against the pricks well it was clear was
it not that these were the words of the blessed savior to the
apostle And here he was then, fallen to the ground, and he
heard this voice speaking unto him directly, calling him by
name, Saul, Saul. And what did he say? Directed
the words at him so that he knew the position. Why persecutest
thou me? It is hard for thee to kick against
the pricks. Now it would appear here, therefore,
that the apostle had had previously these pricks of conscience. And
yet, you see, he continued, he continued in his work because
he wanted to do those things which no doubt would have made
him an eminent person amongst those who despised the Lord Jesus
Christ. He wanted to be acknowledged
as somebody important and therefore here he was in this situation
and in that walk We can believe that the Lord had pricked his
conscience as to whether he was doing that which was in accordance
with God's will, or whether perhaps he was doing something in accordance
with his own will. And therefore the Lord puts his
finger upon him and says very simply, it is hard for thee to
kick against the pricks. And what do we then see? we see what the Apostle asks. And he asks this question, who
art thou, Lord? Isn't it significant, the words
that he uses? Who art thou, Lord? He realised
that this was not just an ordinary person. The effect was just too
overpowering. And he had to come and speak
like this, who art thou, Lord? And what was the answer? The
Lord answered again, very directly and very simply, didn't he? You
know, it's a wonderful thing, isn't it? That we have a God
who comes right down to our level. We have a God who doesn't speak
above our heads. He doesn't use words that we
can't understand. He speaks to our heart very simply
and very directly. And so here we have, on this
memorable occasion, and it's wonderful, isn't it? that we
have the detail on. And of course, it's not the only
time this testimony is recorded in the Word of God. There are
other occasions which we already referred to. And so here we have
this statement. Who art thou, Lord? And what did the Lord say to
him? Very clearly, I am Jesus, whom
thou persecutest. Now, all of us have persecuted
the Lord Jesus Christ, every one of us. And what a mercy if
the Lord has come to us and has made us understand that it is
the things that we have said, our actions, and perhaps our
thoughts, have been so evil against Almighty God. and yet what wonderful
compassion if he has come to us. And what has he done? Well, as the Apostle said, when
he wrote to the Ephesians, he made this statement, and you
hath he quickened, that means made alive, and you hath he quickened
who were dead, in trespasses and in sins. Here we see the
wonderful occasion in the Apostle's life when the Lord came to him
and he realised what he was and he called out, I am Jesus whom,
Jesus spoke to him and said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. Well, I wonder tonight if you
and I can find in our hearts, can find in our spiritual life
something akin to this, where we may have felt ourselves offending
Almighty God, and the Lord has come and confirmed that it's
us who've done these evil things, and that we have been persecuting
the Lord Jesus Christ. I am Jesus, whom thou persecutest. This was the wonderful Saviour,
who had now come to where Paul was. The Lord knew that Paul
was going on that Damascus road. He watched over him. He'd seen
all that he'd done. And then, this very moment, the
Lord graciously condescended to come down and to shine upon
him with a physical light and also a light into his heart,
which brought him to this wonderful position that he was able to
declare and knew, hath he quickened, made alive, who were dead in
trespasses and in sins." Well, what a wonderful thing tonight.
If you and I can say before God, yes, and it is by his grace,
by his favour, he has made us spiritually alive. He's made,
he's quickened our souls into life like he did with the Apostle
Paul here. And the Lord spoke to him such
simple words and such powerful words that Paul was not able
to again say, I am Jesus. whom thou persecutest." Well,
may the Lord bless these words and help us next Friday, God
willing, to continue this account, which we're thankful to have
in the Word of God, which is encouraging to us and also brings
honour and glory to Almighty God. Amen.