Acts chapter 9 records the conversion
of Saul of Tarsus. Someone said that conversion
is the response of the renewed heart, the regenerated heart.
In the new birth, we're passive. The wind blows where it listeth,
our Lord said, the birth of the Holy Spirit from above. But in conversion, we turn. Being turned, we turn. The psalmist
in Psalm 180, three times in that psalm he prayed, Lord, turn
us. Turn us. Make your face to shine
upon us and we shall be saved. Jeremiah in chapter 31 said much
the same thing. Turn us. If you turn us, we'll
be turned. That's what happened to Saul
of Tarsus. God turned him by his mighty
grace. I hope by considering Saul's
conversion, we'll be reminded of our own. and be thankful. Be thankful once again with hearts
of gratefulness to our God for such mighty grace. Grace that's
made us to differ. The only thing that makes the
difference between a child of God, between a believer And those
who are yet in their sins is simply that, the grace of God. That's all that makes us the
different. And I hope that it'll make us all so hopeful for our
lost loved ones, because I know we all have them. We all have
lost loved ones, and we want them to be saved. We want that
more than anything. We want them to know to know
him, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom God did send to experience
this, what Saul experienced here that day on the Damascus Road. Don't settle for a cheap man-made
imitation, but for a true turning to God with a full heart. And
you who don't know him, you that may be here this morning that
are yet unsaved, listen to what this same man wrote years after
this experience that he never got over. He never got over it,
did he? He talked about it with blessed
wonder all the rest of his days. He never got over the wonder.
He always looked at his conversion as that which it really is. It's
America. It's a miracle, John. It takes
a miracle to raise a sinner to life. It takes a miracle of God's
mighty grace. It takes the same power. Paul
said in Ephesians 2, that same power, Ephesians chapter 1 rather,
the same power that God Almighty exercised In raising his son
from the dead is the same power that's necessary to raise up
a sinner to new life. Nothing less than that will accomplish
the blessed work. Paul, in 1 Timothy, wrote these
words. Chapter 1. He says, who was before,
speaking of himself. Right up to that moment on the
Damascus road. Before that, he said, I was a
blasphemer. and a persecutor and injurious. But, but, I obtained mercy. I obtained mercy. And as I said,
Paul always considered that the miracles of all, that he of all
people should obtain mercy. He says, because I did it ignorantly
and unbelief. And the grace of our Lord was
exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.
This is a faithful saying. Don't doubt it. Don't doubt it. If you look to me, Paul said,
this is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation, that
Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. That was his
reason for coming. He didn't come like the Jews
expected the Messiah to do, to set up an earthly empire and
to bring them out of the bondage of Roman rule. That wasn't his
intention. That's not why he came. That's
not what he came to do. Had that been his mission, he
would have done it. Because he's the mighty God.
He's the everlasting Father. I declare, whatever he intended
to do, he would do. Oh, but Gabriel told Joseph,
this is what he's coming to do. This is his mission in coming
into the world, to save his people from their sins. And 33 years later, he said,
I've done that. I've accomplished that. And he
exclaimed as the mighty victor as he was, it is finished. I've redeemed all my people. I brought in an everlasting righteousness."
It's done. Paul says, "'Howbeit for this
cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might
show forth all longsuffering for a pattern.'" Paul says, as
marvelous as his conversion was, it was really a pattern. It's
a type of all conversions. all long suffering for a pattern
to them which should hereafter believe on Him, the life everlasting."
The title of my message is, An Old Fashioned Conversion. That might require a word of
explanation. An old fashioned conversion,
but only in the light of what people say conversions are today. Today's idea of conversion is
not much of a change. It doesn't produce much of a
change, does it? I mean, think about it for a
moment. How much of the grace of God
does it require for a man to make a decision? That's the popular
term today, isn't it? Make a decision. That doesn't
require a miracle. That doesn't require conversion. That doesn't require the new
birth. That just requires my own mental ability, make a decision,
or to walk an aisle. But according to God's word,
Conversion. What happened to Saul of Tarsus
was a great change. He would say, by the grace of
God, I am what I am. Saul, what happened to you? We
read in chapter 9. When Saul, after he was converted,
began to preach that name he once hated, begin to preach in
the synagogues and throughout Damascus that this same Jesus
is the Christ, that he is the Messiah, he is the sent one,
God's anointed. The people that heard him said,
now wait a minute. Is it this Saul of Tarsus? Didn't
he come here to arrest all those that called upon this same name,
like he did those in Jerusalem, and now he preaches that faith
that he once destroyed. Oh, what a mighty change took
place. And the only explanation, Paul
said, is this. It's this, what wrought this
great change in me, he says, I am what I am by the grace of
God. There is such, always, there
is such a divine hand in every true conversion. There is such
a display of God's sovereignty in it. And it has such eternal
consequences. There's nothing that ever takes
place on earth to be compared to this. Let's look first of
all at the convert, Saul of Tarsus. Of all people, Saul of Tarsus. Then we'll consider some things
about Saul's conversion. And then we'll consider a few
consequences of that conversion. But first, the convert. Look
again, if you will, in chapter 9 at verse 1. And Saul. And Saul. of all people, Saul
of Tarsus, this man Saul, this Pharisee of Pharisees, this one
who said that he lived after the strictest sect of Pharisee,
this man who was determined to uphold the tradition of his fathers,
the most unlikely And this is not an exaggeration. The most
unlikely convert to Christ in all of Jerusalem that day was
Saul of Tarsus. You ask anybody that knew him.
Ask the chief priest. Ask them. Oh, no, not Saul of
Tarsus. He's our right-hand man. He's
our chief defender. Oh, not Saul of Tarsus. The conversion
of Saul of Tarsus in that day was no less remarkable, Joe,
as if the conversion of the Pope would be in our day. If he would
have a press conference today and stand before the microphone
and deny all that he once believed and taught and say that he's
been saved by the grace of God, it would be no less remarkable.
The background of this man, Saul of Tarsus, turn if you will to
Philippians chapter 3. As I said earlier, Saul referred
to this afterwards over and over again, his conversion, being
turned that day onto Damascus Road by the grace of God. In
Philippians 3 verse 4, Though I might also have confidence
in the flesh, if any man, if any other man, thinketh that
he had whereof he might trust in the flesh, if he thinks he
has some reason by his own works, to recommend himself to God?
If there are such men, Paul says, I am over. He says, compare what
you claim to what I have, or had rather, verse 5. Circumcised
the eighth day of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin,
and Hebrew of the Hebrews, as touching the law of Pharisee,
concerning zeal, persecuting the church, touching the righteousness
which is in the law, blameless. Saul of Tarsus was probably named
after that other Saul, Israel's first king. And like that same
man, Saul of the Old Testament, he was of the tribe of Benjamin.
And as that Saul persecuted David of old, so Saul of Tarsus persecuted
the son of David, the Lord Jesus Christ. In his own words, turn,
if you will, to Acts chapter 22. Look what Paul says here. He's just come to Jerusalem.
As he told the Ephesian elders, I go bound to Jerusalem, bound
in the spirit, not knowing the things that may befall me there,
except that the Holy Spirit witnesses that in every city bonds and
afflictions abide me. But he said, none of these things
move me. So he goes to Jerusalem. And
he no sooner gets there than he's arrested. But the captain
of the guard allows him to speak to the people. And this is part
of his testimony, verse 3. I am verily a man which am a
Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia. yet brought up in this
city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect
manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as
ye all are this day. And I persecuted this way unto
the death, binding and delivering into presence both men and women. Turn over a few pages to chapter
26. This is his testimony before King Agrippa. Remember what the
Lord told Ananias? He's a chosen vessel unto me.
He'll bear my name before kings. In chapter 26, verse 4 and 5. Before Agrippa, Paul says, my
matter of life from my youth, which was at the first among
mine own nation at Jerusalem, know all the Jews, which knew
me from the beginning, if they would testify, that after the
most straightest sect of our religion, I lived a Pharisee. Look down at verse 9 in the same
chapter. I barely thought within myself,
with myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to the
name of Jesus of Nazareth. which thing also I did in Jerusalem. And many of the saints did I
shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priest.
And when they were put to death, I gave my voice against them.
And I punished them often every synagogue and compelled them
to blaspheme. And being exceedingly mad against
them, I persecuted them even unto strange cities. The first look we have of Saul
of Tarsus in chapter 7 of Acts, the first glimpse we have of
it, it's not a very good one, is it? In Acts chapter 7, Stephen is
being stoned. He's being stoned to death by
the religious leaders of his day. And at verse 58, we're told
this. They cast him out of the city
and stoned him and the witnesses laid their clothes at a young
man's feet whose name was Saul. That's him. But remember this,
remember this, as Paul himself testified many times afterwards,
that during all this time, all the time that Paul was persecuting
the church of God, all the time that he was giving all of his
energy, all of his strength to stamping out this court that
he considered to be. These followers of that deceiver,
that imposter, Jesus of Nazareth, Messiah indeed, he thought. During all this time, in the
very midst of his rebellion, Saul of Tarsus thought he was
doing God's service. He really did. He thought what
he was doing was pleasing to God. During all this time of
rebellion, Saul of Tarsus was very religious, but blind. He was blind to who God really
was. He didn't have a clue. He was
blind to who Christ was, and he was blind to himself, what
he really was. He was religious. You hear people
talk about religion. So-and-so got religion. Why do
folks always think that's a good thing? It may be the worst thing
that ever happened to them and the best thing that ever happens
to them is when they're rid of it. When God strips them of it
like He did Saul of Tarsus here in Acts chapter 9. Religious
but lost. That brings us to this day. Where
was Saul then? Look in chapter 8, verse 1. And Saul was consenting unto
his death. Verse 3. As for Saul, he made
havoc of the church. And then again in verse 1 of
chapter 9. And Saul, yet, yet, breathing
out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the
Lord, went unto the high priest, yet, just as always, breathing
out threatenings. It became his meat and his drink. He was obsessed by this rage.
This is all he lived for. And so with letters, with warrants
I suppose, with authority from the chief priest, he journeys
to Damascus. Can you just picture him? Can
you just picture him in your mind's eye? He's so proud. Oh, he's so proud. He leads the
way with a band of guards rather soldiers behind him and out he
goes to Damascus Gate of Jerusalem. Riding proud up on his horse.
He rode with his band of soldiers out past Gethsemane. Out past Place where the Son of God was
crucified with a sneer and shake his fist and say, I'll put an
end to this. I'll put a stop to this. And
on he marched, cursing with every breath the name of Jesus of Nazareth. Oh, proud Saul. You proud Pharisee. I'm going to go arrest those
Christians. I've chased them out of Jerusalem,
but I'm not satisfied. That's not enough. They can't
hide from me, he thought, so out he goes. to arrest them and
bring them back. But it won't happen. It won't
happen. No, Saul is not going to arrest
God's people. He'll be the one arrested. He's
going to be arrested. He'll get near to Damascus. but
he'll be arrested by God's sovereign grace. That Jesus that he persecuted,
that Jesus that he hated, he becomes a trophy of grace of
that same Jesus. God's decree had said, God's
eternal decree said, today, today at noon, that's exactly right,
today at noon, God doesn't save people by accident. God doesn't
do today what He didn't determine to do before today. Thus the
eternal degree ran. Today at noon, on the Damascus
road, Saul of Tarsus is going to bow down to Me. That's God's
grace. That's God's mercy. Saul of Tarsus
is going to be turned because I'm going to turn him. Saul of
Tarsus is willingly going to bow to my Son. He's willingly
going to plead for mercy because I'm going to make him willing
in the day of my power. Do you have a problem with that?
No child of God has a problem with that. We're thankful. We're
thankful that the God we serve is sovereign. We're glad that
He interfered with our will. We're glad that He interposed
His great mercy. We're glad that He made us willing
because we know we would never be willing otherwise. Saul of
Tarsus comes down. Sovereign grace. Thus the eternal
counsel ran. Sovereign grace. Arrest that
man. Arrest that man. And bless God,
Saul of Tarsus was captured. Saul of Tarsus was brought down. King Jesus brought him down. Brothers and sisters in Christ,
parents of children that are rebels, is that not encouraging? What he did for this rebel this
day on Damascus Road, he can do for our sons and our daughters
because he's a saint. He changes not. He's the same
yesterday, today, and forever. The same power. The same grace. The same universal rule. The same authority. And the same
delight to show mercy to sinners. Oh great God and Savior. Prince
of Peace, bring them in. Speak to our sons and daughters
just like you did Saul. Stop them dead in their tracks,
dead in their race of rebellion, dead in their rebellion, and
bring them to your footstool and make them monuments of mercy. Make them trophies of your mighty
grace as only you can do. Saul, come down. down. So much for the convert. Now
consider the conversion. Verse 3 of Acts 9, and as he
journeyed, as he went his way, the same old way, religious,
the same as always, and so it is, and so it would continue
to be. Saul of Tarsus would have lived
and died a rebel against God. in absolute darkness, except
for this, as he would write afterward, more than once, but God. I love those words. But God. Oh, full of grace and truth. The great shepherd of the sheep
seeks his own. He has to. He has to. Because they won't seek him.
They won't seek Him. All around us this morning, preachers
at the conclusion of their message will tell sinners, if you'll
take the first step, God will take the rest. You've heard that. God's done all He can do. Now
it's up to you. Oh, Lazarus, isn't that good
news? Isn't that good news? I'm dead
in trespasses and sins. I'm helpless. I'm hopeless. There's nothing that I can do
to save myself. And you tell me I must take the
first step? Before God does anything for
me, I must take the first step? Before the Great Shepherd finds
me, I must turn and search for Him? Oh no. The Great Shepherd
of the sheep takes all the steps. He said, I go out looking for
my sheep. And I continue to look. Can he? Until I find him. Until I find
him, bless his name, he won't give up the search. He won't
stop. Aren't you glad that's so? Aren't
you glad that the great shepherd of the sheep says, I'll seek
until I find. And when I find him, if they'll
allow me, If they cooperate, then my grace will be effectual.
If they'll do their part, he says, oh no, no, no, no, no,
no. The Bible knows nothing about such a weak, frustrated shepherd. He says, when I find them. Not
if I find them, Lester, bless his holy name, but when I find
them. When I find them, I'll save them. I'll give them life and I'll
put them on my shoulders and I'm going to bring them home.
I'm going to bring them all the way home and they'll be rejoicing
in heaven over one sinner that's brought home to glory. Well,
wait a minute now, angels. Perhaps you're rejoicing prematurely. How do you know that? lost sheep
are hauled out. How do you know that He'll be
brought to glory? Perhaps you ought to wait and
see. Oh no. Grace has brought us safe thus
far. And grace, that same great grace,
will lead us home. The great shepherd goes to where
they are. And he finds them as they are.
And you know, you want to know what we are by nature. Paul said
in Ephesians 2, you have He quickened. who were dead in trespasses and
sins. You were dead. May have been
religious, but dead. Then again, verse 3, and suddenly
there shined round about him, around Saul of Tarsus, a light
from heaven. Right in the midst of his spiritual
darkness, God said, let there be light. I like that. Let there be light. God turned
the light on. God who commanded the light to
shine out of darkness in the creation have shined it into
our hearts, Paul wrote, to give the knowledge of the glory of
God in the face of Jesus Christ. Let there be light. God turned
the light on. Turned the light on. Turn your
gracious light on in the hearts of our children. Verse 4 tells
us what happened. And he fell to the earth and
heard a voice saying, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? He fell
to the earth. Oh, look at that proud Pharisee.
He doesn't look so proud anymore, does he? Look at him. Look what
grace has done. he's brought him down. When the
great shepherd goes out to seek a rebellious sheep, he'll find
him and that sheep will be brought down. When Christ is pleased
to reveal himself to his soul, he's Modern day preaching says, stand
up. Stand up sinner. Stand up and
be counted. God owes you mercy. God owes
everyone mercy. And you know the result of that
kind of teaching? It's this. There's no fear of
God before their eyes. No fear of God. What should I
fear? If it's all up to me, what's
the rush? What's the hurry? I'll just live
as I want and before I die, I'll let Jesus into my heart. But
oh, once God Almighty turns the light on and we see what we really
are, man, I'm lost. I'm lost. And there's nothing
I can do to save myself. When God's grace strips us, it's
so that he'll clothe us. It kills us that we might be
made alive. And he heard a voice. Saul, Saul. The soldiers heard something,
but they really didn't understand. But Christ wasn't talking to
them, was he? This was a distinguishing call,
a particular call. Saul, I'm speaking to you. And so it is. When he speaks
effectually, my sheep hear my voice, and they follow me. Have you heard him speak? Have
you ever heard him speak? Has the great shepherd ever spoken
to you with this revelation to your heart? I'm the sinner. No question about it. He's speaking
to me. And Paul asked the question,
What would you have me do? Falling down, trembling, and
astonished. This is not the Jesus that Saul
thought he was, is he? This is the Lord Jesus. He's
not Jesus, my lucky charm. Jesus, my fire escape out of
hell. Jesus, my door mat to heaven. No, he's Lord of lords and King
of kings and you'll bow to him or be cast into hell. He's the
Lord Jesus Christ. Look at the consequences of Saul's
conversion. Saul was obedient. Paul didn't know anything about
a Savior who wasn't also his Lord. Paul bowed to Jesus Christ
and did exactly what he was told to do. He was a changed man. He was no longer the same. And he never would be. Grace,
true grace works an eternal, lasting change in the heart of
everyone who experiences it. It's not a religious spasm. They're
usually short-lived. Everyone, usually. Most of the
time. It's hard to meet someone that
hasn't had one or two religious spasms in their life. They get real sick. and they
get religious. The sickness leaves, and so does
their religion. They're the stony ground hearers.
With joy, very quickly, they receive the word, and just as
quickly, they turn it loose. Not so with true grace. You remember
what our Lord said to Ananias? Ananias said, wait, Lord. Ananias
thought he was going to enlighten God Almighty, but we've heard
of this man. He's came here to arrest God's
people just like he's done in Jerusalem, and Ananias was sure
he was one on Paul's list. But remember what the Lord said
to him, Ananias, behold, he prayeth. He prayeth. That rebel right
now is setting calling out from his heart for
mercy. He's praying. What's so marvelous
about that? Didn't he pray before? Yeah.
Yeah, I'm sure he did. If you can call it prayer. His
prayer before was like this. Like that other Pharisee. When
Saul of Tarsus prayed, Lord, I thank you. I'm not like other
men. I'm thankful that I'm different.
I'm thankful that I've made myself to differ. But now, when God
Almighty says, look Ananias, behold, he's praying, O my soul,
what a change! What a different prayer this
is. Listen to the words. God be merciful to me. I'm the
sinner. That's what grace does. And only
grace can do. In conclusion, is it not evident? Is it not evident in Saul's conversion? In every true conversion? Salvation. Salvation, Lord, must be of the
Lord. Paul's conversion proves it.
Paul's theology, as we said, was an explanation of his conversion. It was all of grace. All of grace. Turn, if you will,
to Galatians chapter 1. We referred to it already. But
let's look at it. Galatians chapter 1. This is
exactly what Paul says here. Paul, why this great change? And he tells us. Galatians chapter
1, verse 13. You've heard of my conversation
in times past, the way I lived, conversation means, my life in
the Jews' religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the
Church of God and wasted it and profited in the Jews' religion
among many my equals, in my known nation being exceedingly, more
exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers. And Saul of Tarsus
would have remained there, and died there, and stood before
God, lost. Clothed in his own filthy rags
of self-righteousness. And so would I. So would I. And so would you. Except for
one thing. Except for one thing. And God
help us never to forget it. But when it pleased God, it pleased
God. God found pleasure in saving
this rebel when it pleased God who separated me from my mother's
womb and called me. He called me by His grace. He had mercy on me. You'll never be saved. You'll
never be saved. If you're saved, it will be not
because of what you've done or what you deserve. It'll be because
God had mercy. Mercy. It'll be because God showed
grace. Mercy there was great and grace
was free, was it not? Pardon there was multiplied to
me. There my burdened soul found
liberty at Calvary. And this is also true, as Paul
himself would afterwards write, if any man be in Christ, he's
a new creature. Old things are passed away. Behold,
all things are become new. That's true of every man or woman
that experiences God's grace. There's no exceptions. No exceptions. Don't accept anything less. Oh,
that I might know Him. May God not allow anyone to be
satisfied with anything less than knowing Him, than being
able from your heart to say in truth, I know whom I have believed. Not what, not things, but Him. I know whom. Saul of Tarsus'
conversion was the most momentous, wonderful conversion in all the
world. No, it wasn't. No, let's stop
and check ourselves. There's one other conversion
long since Paul's that to you and me throughout all eternity
will even eclipse his and that's yours and mine and god help us of his grace to such unworthy
sinners as you and I. Again, and I'll close the message,
reading from 1 Timothy chapter 1. Paul says, this is a faithful
saying. Let me read it again. And worthy
of all acceptation that Christ Jesus came into the world to
save sinners of whom I am chief. How be it for this cause I obtain
mercy that in me first Jesus Christ might show forth all longsuffering
for a pattern. This is a type, this is typical.
To them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting. Now unto the King eternal, immortal,
invisible, the only wise God, be honor and glory forever and
ever. Amen. Amen.