A Pattern of Conversion

Q: What does the Bible say about mercy and salvation?

The Bible teaches that mercy is unmerited favor given by God to sinners, as shown in 1 Timothy 1:15-16. In 1 Timothy 1:15-16, Paul emphasizes that he, as the chief of sinners, obtained mercy, highlighting that mercy is not earned or deserved. Instead, it is a gift from God, demonstrating His love and grace. Paul states that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners, signifying that salvation is fundamentally about God's mercy, applied to those who cannot earn it. This radical offer of grace illustrates God's character as a merciful savior, providing a foundation for the hope of every believer who recognizes their unworthiness before Him.

Q: How do we know God chooses to save sinners?

The conversion of Saul of Tarsus illustrates God's sovereign choice in saving those who do not seek Him. The conversion of Saul of Tarsus serves as a powerful testament to God's sovereign choice in salvation. As Saul was actively opposing Christ and persecuting His followers, God intervened powerfully, choosing Saul to reveal His grace and mercy. This event underscores the truth that salvation is not a result of human initiative but rather God's sovereign will, as seen when Jesus confronts Saul on the road to Damascus. God's choice is made evident through His pursuit of sinners, demonstrating that He initiates the act of saving those who are wholly unworthy.

Q: Why is understanding God's long-suffering important for Christians?

God's long-suffering exemplifies His patience and mercy, providing hope for sinners as they seek redemption. Understanding God's long-suffering is crucial for Christians, as it reflects His immense patience and commitment to sinners. The Apostle Paul, in 1 Timothy 1, cites his own life as an example of God's long-suffering, wherein God endured Saul's blasphemy and rebellion until the appointed time of his conversion. This long-suffering emphasizes that God is not quick to condemn but desires that all come to repentance. For believers, this knowledge instills hope that God can still work in the lives of those who seem far from Him, encouraging patience in prayer for others' salvation.

Q: How can Saul's conversion serve as a pattern for believers today?

Saul's conversion serves as a pattern of God's grace and the transformative power of His mercy. Saul's conversion is a significant example of how God transforms lives through His sovereign grace. While Saul was religious and zealous, he was ultimately blind to the truth of Christ. His dramatic encounter on the road to Damascus demonstrates that God often brings about profound changes in those who oppose Him. This pattern encourages believers today, as it underscores that no one is beyond the reach of God's grace. It illustrates that every believer has a story of transformation, highlighting that grace does not discriminate based on past sins or current struggles but is accessible through faith in Christ.

1 Timothy chapter 1, and in verse
15 and 16, 1 Timothy 1, 15, Paul declares several very important
things. He says in verse 15, this is
a fateful say. This is not hearsay. This is
the record. This is the testimony of God.
This is the truth. This is not hearsay. This is
not something passed down. This is a faithful saying. John
writing says this is the record. This is the record. And it's
worthy of all acceptation. What's that mean? It means that
all men, all women, all young people ought to accept it. They
don't accept it and they don't love it. Many of them don't,
but they should. It's worthy. It's worthy as he's
worthy of all acceptation, of acceptation by all. And here's
the statement, that Christ Jesus, see I've often told you Christ
is his office. Jesus is his name of humanity
and humility. This is Christ Jesus. This is
the Christ the man. This is God-man. This is the
Son of God and the Son of Man, Christ Jesus. He came into this
world. You and I didn't come into this
world. We began right here. He came into this world. He came
from heaven into this world. He was born of a woman. The Word
was made flesh. God became a man. He came into
this world. He said, I am come that they
might have life. That's why I'm come, that they
might have life. He came into this world, and
he came to save sinners, genuine, bona fide sinners. He said, I,
the Son of Man, is come to seek and to save that which is lost. That's why Jesus Christ came
into this world. He said, I didn't come to condemn
the world. The world was already condemned.
I came to save sinners. My mission is a mission of mercy.
I came not to be ministered unto, but to minister and to give my
life a ransom for many. And then Paul adds, and it's
not a false humility. He's not seeking human glory.
He adds, of whom I am the chief. I am the chief sinner. I'm the
first and I'm the greatest sinner. And he doesn't say this out of
false modesty. He doesn't say it for vain glory. He says it out of a real sense
of personal guilt and sin. I'm the chief of sinners. The
chief of sinners. And out of a sense of gratitude
to God. Alright, now watch the next verse.
How be it? Being the chief sinner, being
a rebel, being ungodly, how be it? For this cause I obtained
mercy." Twice Paul uses this phrase. He uses it back up here,
back up here in another verse, I believe verse 13, verse Timothy
1. He said, I was before a blasphemer,
I was a persecutor, I was injurious, but I obtained mercy. I didn't
earn it. I didn't merit it. It was unasked. Unsought and unmerited. Old Dr. John Gill was quite a student. I read where he learned several
languages by the time he was 11 or 12 years old. He read the
classics and all this sort of thing. He was quite a brain. And they gave him a D.D., an
honorary D.D., a Doctor of Divinity degree. I guess if any man ever
deserved that type of degree, John Gill did. But this is what
he said when they presented him with that honorary degree. He
said, I neither thought it, sought it, or bought it. And that's
what Paul is saying here. Mercy. I never thought it, sought
it, or bought it. I never earned it, or asked for
it, or merited it. I obtained it. I obtained it. I obtained mercy. I obtained
mercy. Down here in verse 16, it says,
For this cause I obtained mercy. Mercy. And I tell you, mercy
is just that, it's mercy. But we, you know, we don't find
many people looking for mercy. Everybody's looking for his rights.
Everybody talks about, I just want what's coming to me. No,
not really. No, you really don't, honestly.
I want mercy. I want to obtain mercy. I want
to obtain mercy. That in me first. Now watch this
carefully. Jesus Christ might show forth
all longsuffering. My Lord, in his patience and
longsuffering. He shows it in me. This man,
this man, with that trail of blasphemy, and that trail of
rebellion, and that trail of persecution, was almost 40 years
of age. And God had put up with his blasphemy,
and his false religion, and his self-righteousness. He was a
self-righteous fellow, Saul of Tarsus. Proud, arrogant, oh how
arrogant he was. Hateful, and got long suffering. For this cause I obtain mercy,
that in me first, first, foremost, Jesus Christ might show forth
longsuffering." I'll tell you, he's been longsuffering with
us, too. What fools we've been. With our conduct, with our conversation,
with our attitude, with our bumbling and fumblings and failures and
all these things, longsuffering. God's longsuffering with his
people. for a pattern, and that's what
caught my eye, for a pattern, for a pattern to them which should
hereafter believe on him the life everlasting. That's you
and me, Charlie, Chip, Gary, John, Don, right on back. This man's a pattern to these
who should hereafter believe. He's a pattern. Now, I looked
at that and I said, what does this mean, he's a pattern? Well, his conversion, his conversion
is a pattern. Now, not necessarily in detail. You don't need to buy your horse
and head for Damascus. That'd be a foolish thing to
do. But you know, he saw a light, and I'll tell you, if you're
converted, you're going to see a light too. God who commanded the light to
shine out of darkness is going to shine in your heart to give
you a knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ
Jesus. You're going to see a light, the light of God in the face
of Christ. He heard a voice. You needn't expect to hear a
voice audibly, but you're going to hear a voice. My sheep hear
my voice, he said. You're going to hear his word. And old Saul was brought down.
I mean, he was knocked off his high horse. And I tell you, God's
never saved a man or a woman yet if he didn't bring them down.
The proud, God despises. He resisted the proud. He's going
to bring us down. He's going to bring us down from
our position of power and authority and leadership and put us in
the dust. And he will do it now. He's going to humble us. He's
going to humble us. He struck solitarsis blind. And we're going to realize that
as far as spiritual things are concerned, we're blind, stone
blind. We may see a lot of things naturally,
but we don't see spiritually. We're blind. And then he was
led by the hand. And I'll tell you this, you're
not going to lead yourself now. Somebody's going to take you
by the hand. Somebody's going to take you by the hand. Somebody's
going to lead you into a better understanding of these things
of God. But this pattern, I believe it's
not only a pattern in the sense that how God works in the heart
and life of a sinner, but it's an example, a pattern of God's
sovereign mercy as he chose Saul, he chooses us. That's right. Saul was not seeking Christ,
and those whom God saves today are not seeking Christ. He's
seeking them. That's right. You see, Saul of
Tarsus was headed the other way, and God arrested him. He wasn't
on his way to a prayer meeting. He was on his way to kill some
more Christians, but God arrested him. And I don't know how and
when and where that God will arrest everybody here that's
one of his own, but he'll halt you, he'll arrest you, he'll
get your attention. He got his attention. And that's a pattern. Secondly, it's a pattern not
only of God's mercy, sovereign mercy, but sorrow was a pattern
of God's long-suffering. He said that. Long-suffering
patience. God patiently endured this man's
Don't give up on anybody. God may yet call them. We have
a tendency, I think sometimes if we're persons in religion
and they keep fighting the gospel of God's grace, well, Saul, we'll
see in a moment. He fought this way. He fought
it for a long time. But if they're one of God's own,
he'll be patient. He's more patient than we are.
more long-suffering than we are. And then it's an example of his
power to save. He's able to save to the uttermost. He's able to save the chief of
sinners. Who would have ever thought that God would save that
man Saul of Tarsus? Who would have ever thought that
God would save that man? But I'll tell you, Saul of Tarsus
is an example of hope. I like what John Newton said.
John Newton said to William J., I've never despaired of any person
since God saved me. Never. Paul says he's a pattern. So what I did when I read that,
I turned over here, if you will, turn to Acts 22, and let's see
what happened in his conversion. Let's see what took place. Let's
see what happened if his conversion is a pattern. not so much in
detail or experience, but an example of how God saves sinners,
an example of his mercy, an example of his long-suffering, an example
of his sovereignty, an example of his power, an example of hope.
Then let's see this man's conversion just for a little while. First
of all, in verse 3, now he said this, like Tom said, he's setting
forth his defense. And he says in verse 3, I am
a Jew. I am verily a man which am a
Jew." In other words, before Paul came to know Christ, he
was a religious man. He was a religious man. He said,
I was born in Tarsus, a city of Cilicia. I was brought up
in that city at the feet of Gamaliel. Some of you know who that was.
That was There were two major schools of religion in that day.
Gamaliel was one of the most important schools and professors,
and he said, I was brought up at his feet, and I was taught
according to the perfect manner of the law of my fathers. I was
zealous toward God. This man was a religious man.
And Tom paused on this because it caught his attention, caught
mine. As you all are this day. I'll tell you, Tarsus was no
more religious than Ashman. The people of Tarsus and Paul,
Saul of Tarsus, they were religious, but so are we today. We're just
so religious. Trained in our tradition, trained
in our custom, we're zealous toward God. In fact, in Philippians
3, he said, these things were important to me. I counted these
things but gained before I met Christ. And after I met Christ,
those things that were important to me and those things that were
gained to me, I counted lost for the excellency and the knowledge
of Christ my Lord. They were important to me. He
was a religious man. And it may be, would you say
he was sincere? Would you say this man was sincere?
Oh, I definitely believe he's sincere. I definitely believe
he does. And there may be, I know there
are people here who love Christ, who know Christ, who believe
Christ, I think I do and I think many of you do, but perhaps there
may be some here, like this man here, that you're trained and
taught and schooled in the custom, in the tradition, in the ordinances,
in the catechisms, in the doctrines, and you're zealous and you're
sincere. This man was. But he didn't know Christ. He
said, I'm a Jew. I'm a Jew. I'm a religious, law-abiding,
moral, God-fearing, God-worshipping Jew. Isn't that what he said?
As you all are this day. Alright, now notice the next
thing. And I persecuted this way, or the way, unto death. Now, watch this. This man's a
Jew. He's religious. but he hates sovereign grace. He hates salvation by grace alone. He despises salvation by the
act of God, by the will of God, by the death of Christ, by the
regenerating work of the Holy Spirit. He loves works, he loves
law, he loves goodness, he loves morality, he loves doing his
duties and doing his devotions and finding acceptance with God
through what he does. He hates this way that says,
I'm nothing, Christ is all. The way of God's will as opposed
to his will, the way of grace as opposed to works, the way
of faith as opposed to the law. He said, I hate it that way.
And most religious people today hate the way. And Tom made mention
of this. Let me show you this. Turn to
Acts 9. You see, often in the word of
God, this salvation by grace in Christ is called the way,
this way, the way. Let me show you this, Acts 9.2.
And this is Saul here in Acts 9.2. And he desired of the high
priest letters to Damascus, to the synagogues, that if he found
any of this way, Whether they were men or women, he might bring
them bound unto Jerusalem. See, this way. That way. It's like I told you
so many times, I don't know why we don't change the name of this
church out here, the Old Baptist Church. Instead of 13th Street,
just the Old Baptist Church, because people say, where do
you go to church? I say, 13th Street, Old. And then there's nothing else
said. That's right. It's the way, it's that way.
It's that way of election, that way of sovereignty, that way
of particular redemption, that way. That's why if I find any
of that way, peculiar way, a different way, that's right. I don't know
really why all the other churches don't get together. They all
preach the same thing, don't they? The ones I hear on television
say the same thing. There's no distinction, there's
no difference. There's no scripture used. Everybody sits around and
talks about what they think and what they believe, and they all
sound exactly alike. They all sound in the same note.
God wants to, but you won't let him. God likes to save you, but
you won't let him. God has a wonderful plan for
your life, but he can't make it work without you. You take
the first step, God will meet you. They say the same thing,
but we don't. This is a way. Let me show you
it's used again here in Acts 19. Listen, the way. Acts 19,
verse 9. Listen to this. Acts 19, 9. But when divers were heartened
and believed not, but spake evil of that way before the multitude,
he departed from them. Spake evil of what? That way.
Look at verse 23 of this same chapter, Acts 19, 23. And at the same time, there arose
no small stir about that way. That way. Acts 24. It's just used over and over
again. You may want to mark these passages. Acts 24, verse 14. Paul said, But this I confess
unto you, that after the way which they call heresy, that
way they call it heresy. He said, That's the way I worship
God. What about verse 22 of Acts 24? Same chapter, verse 22. And
when Felix heard these things, having more perfect knowledge
of that way, he had more understanding of
that way. He deferred them and said, when Lysias, the chief
captain, shall come down, I'll know the uttermost of your matter.
This man sat and listened to Paul talk about that way, and
he had more understanding of that way, and it bothered him.
I wish folks had given me an opportunity to just mentally
or some way or into the mind or head tell him about this way. It's not only scriptural, it's
logical. If God's God, he's God. If he's God, he's almighty. If
Christ died for sinners, then he redeemed them. If the Holy
Spirit is almighty and all-conquering and all-victorious and immutable
and infinite and none can resist him or withstand him, then he'll
conquer whom he sets out to conquer. That's logical. And that's what
this guy Felix, where his name was, sat there, and Paul talked
about it this way, and he said, Hey, I may not believe it, but
there's something to it. There's something to it. And he said, I persecuted this
way, and it's not, I don't know why you're shocked, I don't know
why I am, when people fight against God's free and sovereign grace.
They always have. They always have and they always
will. I don't know why we think our family is any different. I'll tell you why. You see, depravity,
a real definition of human depravity, of man's evil and wickedness
of the flesh. That's offensive. It offends
man's dignity. That's offensive. You can talk
about, oh, we're all sinners, and anybody will buy that, but
tell them what a sinner is. That's different. And then to
define divine revelation. Here was a man, Saul of Tarsus.
I mean, this man was educated. This man was a personal friend
of the high priest. There wasn't one high priest.
And this man, Saul of Tarsus, was so high up in the Sanhedrin,
so high up in religious training, so high up in morality, he was
a close personal friend of the highest hierarchy and was on
the board of the Sanhedrin and was a Pharisee. And yet, he didn't
know anything about Christ. And divine revelation offends
man's wisdom. He just, don't tell me I can't
put all this together. And that's what's wrong with
our churches. Natural men have put it together. And God's sovereignty offends
man's pride. And the effectual atonement is
offensive to man's desire to contribute to his own deliverance.
He wants some glory, not much. He'll let Christ do most of the
saving. But he's got to have a part in
it. He'll let Christ do most of the saving. He'll let Christ
get most of the glory, but don't tell me he does it all. I've
got to do something. He wants just a little bit. If
you don't give him a little part, you're going to offend his self-love. Isn't that right? And I'll tell you something that
gets to me. American religionists talk about
religious freedom. They'll fight for the freedom
of the Catholics to be Catholics and the Mormons to be Mormons
and the Jews to be Jews. and spiritualists to be spiritualists,
but they won't hold still for grace people to preach grace.
Now, they hate that, and they'll put that out of business. They'll
shut you down. But they'll hold out this American
freedom of religion. Freedom of religion. But all
of them band together when they've got their common enemy, the Lord
Jesus Christ. And I've said that so many times,
And you men will find it, and women too, where you're working
on your jobs. There can be 14 different kinds
of religion in that room, and they'll work together in harmony,
they'll get along, they'll even go to one another's revival meetings,
and they'll read each other's literature, but you bring one
sovereign, effectual, free grace, Calvinist in there who believes
God's God and man's laws and Christ saves whom he will, and
they'll ever one turn on him. like vultures. Have you ever considered why
that is? Looks like it would be obvious why. This is the truth. A thousand errors can walk together,
but truth can't walk with error and error can't walk with truth.
That ought to be obvious to anybody. You can have in your family a
family reunion. They can be Methodist, Nazarene,
Church of God, Assembly of God, Catholic, you just name it. And
they'll get along fine until you come along and you start
talking about who God is. Your God is not their God. See,
their God's the same. He's a weakling, he's impotent,
he's powerless. Their Savior is a part Savior. And when you come along with
this message of that, when you come along with that way, you'll
find out it's that way. It's always been that way. And
he said, I am that way. All right, what happened to this
man? Well, I'm religious. I persecuted that way. Now look
at verse 7. Verse 7 said, I fell to the ground.
This is a pattern. We're all religious, we're brought
up religious. I'll bet you if you go around
here and have everybody stand up and tell their background,
90% of the people in here had a religious background. Didn't
you? Religious background. And were
sincere. Sincere. Isn't that right, Jerry?
Sincere. And you fought this way. But I tell you, every one of
you here who is saved, there came a day when you fell to the
ground. Isn't that right? There came
a day when God Almighty showed you that you were nothing. Oh,
my goodness. And this is a difficult experience
to the flesh. I tell you, a man's been used
to talking. To shut him up is tough. A man's been used to being
somebody, suddenly to become nobody. A man that's been used
to giving handouts to beggars finds out he himself is a beggar.
Now, that's a transaction, a transition, isn't it? That's a shocking experience. It's shocking to find out what
we really are, that we're not what we claim to be, we're not
what we thought we'd be, we were, and we're not what everybody
else thought we were. We're what God says we are, and I'll tell
you this, the cross is always before the crown. Always. the humiliation, the degradation,
the ignominious suffering, the stripping, the humbling, the
breaking, the bringing down, the scourging, the spittle, our
Lord Jesus Christ humbled himself and became obedient unto death,
even the death of the cross, wherefore God hath highly exalted
him. And God's not going to give you
the right to be a son, and the right to wear the crown, and
the right to participate in His unshared glory, till you've come
the route of the cross. Ain't that right? I know that's
right. I fell down. See, this, this,
what he did to Saul of Tarsus here had to be done. It, it just
has to be done. That's why how we were made up,
it just has to be done. Here's this proud man riding
on that stallion, and I'm just sure the decorated saddle and
all these things, and he's leading a troop of men, and he's the
religious pet. He's the fair-haired boy of all
the Jewish sect, you know, and God just dumped him up on his
face in the dust, just flattened him out. And he was blind, staggering
around there, stone blind, And somebody had to take him by the
hand. Oh, that's humbling to the flesh.
And I tell you, the sacrifices of God are a broken heart. Broken
and a contrite spirit, O God, thou wilt not despise. And what's
the difference? Saul, and then, I'm less than
the least of all the saints. I'm nothing. I'm the chief of
sinners. I obtain mercy. See that kind
of language? That's not the language of a
religionist. That's not the language. And
then what's this next thing? Verse 10. And I said, you see,
I am a Jew, and really I persecuted this way. I fell to the ground,
and now I'm asking, what shall I do? What shall I do? Gerald and I were talking last
night about witnessing. Most all of us here, number one,
would like to witness more. Most all of us here delight to
witness, to tell men, like you did, what's big in your life.
Don't you? I enjoy it. Number three, most all of us
in here feel convicted because we don't witness more. But number four, the big problem
here, there ain't nobody to witness to. That's the problem. That's the
problem. You say, oh, you can tell. They
don't want to hear it. You know, anybody wants to hear
what you've got to say about Christ? It's a problem. And if you start
instigating this religious talk, they become mad. They become
upset. They get irritated. And how wonderful
it is when somebody, when God's pleased to open the door and
somebody initiates a conversation like that, what's big in your
life? Don't you wish everybody you met tomorrow asked you that?
Wouldn't that be something? If everybody you met looked at
you and said, what's big in your life? What's important to you? What is the gospel? Wouldn't
that be something? Well, you'd have laryngitis by
evening time. But no, we spend our time casting
these pearls before pigs. Isn't that right? Swine. Religious swine and pigs. But oh, let us pray that God
will give somebody an interest. This man Saul, boy, he's got
an interest now. He didn't before. He stood and
listened to Stephen preach and didn't bother him. He consented,
you read, to his death. He held a coach while they bashed
that man's brains out. But I tell you, he's willing
to listen now. What shall I do? What shall I
do? What shall I do? It's strange to me that without
instruction, without teaching, without prolonged study, Just
about everybody I meet, whether by feeling, emotion, experience,
or whatever, knows everything there is to know about God. Nobody's
asking, what shall I do? What shall I do? What can I do?
Tell me what to do. And here's a man 40 years old,
taught by the best teacher, schooled in theology, taught in the perfect
manner of the law, zealous to the point of revolution, and
now he's ready to hear something. I tell you what a delight if
I could walk out of there on Sunday morning and walk up here
and everybody in this building was just ready to hear. What
God show you, preacher, yesterday to tell us? What shall we do?
What? Tell us. Tell us. Come on. Come on. Tell
us. Tell us. Tell us. We got a lot of school
teachers in here and a lot of them dread class. You know why?
They got nobody willing to learn. Wouldn't it be fun if all your
students were just sitting there waiting, like a sponge, for you
to tell them something? Open your books, they say. Do
I have to? Well, he said, here, what shall
I do? And the Lord said, well, you
rise and go to Damascus, and it will be told you what's appointed
for you to do. So, when I could not see for
the glory of that light, verse 11, being led by the hand by
them that were with me, I came to Damascus and won Ananias. A devout man, according to the
law, having a good report of all the Jews, came to me." Who
was Ananias? Anybody know who was Ananias?
I don't know either. I checked up on it today. Who
was Ananias? You know, you'd think. Boy, here's a big fish. Solitare
says, here's a big fish. This man's going to be the preacher
of the Gentiles. This man's going to write 14
books in the New Testament. This man is going to go to the
third heaven. This man is the twelfth apostle. It looks like God has sent Peter
or James or John to him, doesn't it Cecil? That's the way we think. No, he sent Ananas. Who is Ananas? He was a disciple, not one of
the twelve. He was just a believer who lived
at Damascus. He was a simple believer, an
ordinary private believer. That's right, John. People have
tried to make him something else. Some writers say he was one of
the seventy. There in Luke 10, when he sent
out seventy, it doesn't say that. Some people say he was one of
the deacons. He wasn't named in the first seven. Stephen was, but not Ananias.
Somebody said he's Bishop of Damascus. I don't believe that.
Some others said that he died a martyr. They've tried to make
this man something, and none of it's verified. I'll tell you
the simple truth is that he was just a believer down at Damascus. And my Lord Jesus Christ, further
humbling this proud Saul of Tarsus, he didn't send Saul a cheap disciple. He didn't send him the most important,
he sent him a simple, humble, fearful man who replied when
God said, solitare. He said, boy, I've heard about
him. I kind of hate to go see him. And God said, well, he's
praying. You don't need to worry about
him. He's going down there. That's right. Very simple, humble,
but devout man. God sent him. And he came to me, verse 13,
and I'll wind her down now, listen carefully. Came to me and he
said, Brother Saul, Brother Saul, he knew he was one of God's own. Received thy sight, and the same
hour I looked up upon him. Oh, I wonder, I wonder what went
through, I know what went through Saul's mind. He has sat at the
feet of Gamaliel, and Gamaliel didn't teach him much. Gamaliel
had the credentials, but didn't have the Christ. But here stands
a poor, simple, humble man in a peasant robe, and old proud
Saul looked on him. But he was willing to listen. What did he say? The God of our fathers hath chosen
thee, the God of our fathers, the God of Abraham and Isaac
and Jacob, the eternal living God of creation, the God who
says, I create evil and I create good and I create darkness and
I create light, the God of Isaiah, the God of David who said, My
God's in the heavens, he does whatsoever he pleases. The God
who's the same yesterday, today, and forever. No new God, no new
message, no new gospel. The God of our fathers. What
did he do? He chose you. I'm told we're
not supposed to preach election to sinners. Well, who are we
going to preach it to then? Everybody's a sinner, either
saved or lost. But I don't know any way to preach
the truth except to simply preach it. And that's what Anna and
I said. Johnny looked at him and said, God chose you. You
didn't choose God. He chose you. You didn't seek
Him. He sought you. You didn't love Him. He loved
you. I'm here because God chose you. That's why I'm here. Otherwise,
I wouldn't be here. God chose you. I tell you, when
God chooses a sinner and chooses to save him, He'll send him a
preacher. That's one of the, everybody
talks about there's no preacher over here, there's no true preacher
over there, there's no sheep over there either. If there's
some sheep over there, there'd be a preacher over there. One
of the good indications there's some sheep somewhere is there's
one of God's preachers there. Is that not right? That's true. It is not that I did choose thee,
Lord, that could not be. This heart would still refuse
thee, but thou hast chosen me. And what did choose him? Read
on. He said, God chose you that you should know his will. If
somebody asked you what that's talking about, what would you
say? God, the God of our fathers had chosen you that you should
know his will. Well, Saul knew his will of commandment. He knew the commandments. He
knew his will of ceremonies. He knew his will of sacrifice.
But he didn't know his will of redemption. And you'll find that
All the way through the Word, but especially here, listen.
Christ said, All that my Father giveth me shall come to me, and
him that cometh to me I will no wise cast out. For I came
down from heaven, not to do my will, but the will of him that
sent me. And this is the will of him that sent me, that of
all which he hath given me I lose nothing. That you should know
that will. His will of redemption. Now here's
the other passage. Christ said, Lo, I come. In the
volume of the book, it's written of me to do thy will, O God. By the which will we're sanctified
once for all by the offering of the body of Jesus Christ.
That's the will. God's will. My friends, the God
of our fathers, the God of all ages, the God of all creation,
the God and Father of Jesus Christ have chosen you. that you should
know his will of redemption. We know his will of commandment,
it's written on our hearts. We know his will of power, it's
written in the skies. But his will of redemption is
only revealed in Christ. See what I'm saying? And that's
marvelous that he chose you to know this will. Now watch the
next thing, and see the just one. God Almighty has chosen to reveal
to you the just one. Who's the just one? It's funny
how we all, believers and sovereign gracers, think like, first thing
he said when he read this, the just one, he quoted Isaiah 45. You remember? A just God and
a Savior. This is the God most people don't
know. The God who must be not only a Savior, but a just Savior. He's got to save us in a way
that will give glory to His justice and righteousness. Another place
that's used is this, God sent forth His Son to be a propitiation,
a propitiation for our sins, declaring His righteousness that
He might be what? Just and justifier of them that
believe. And then 1 Peter 3.18 says, Christ
has suffered. the just for the unjust to bring
us to God. So what he's saying here, Ann
and I, is he's saying, Saul, brother Saul, God chose you. This is no accident. This confrontation,
this meeting, this coming together, me being here and you here, and
you humbled and brought down and willing to, God chose you.
That you should know his will of redemption. And that you should
see, understand, that Jesus Christ enables God to be a just God
and a Savior. Now read on quickly. And you should hear the voice
of His mouth. My sheep know my voice. They
won't follow the voice of a stranger. They hear my voice. Now watch
this. And you shall be, you shall be His witnesses. You shall be
His witness unto all men. Verse 15. seen and heard. This is so important. Having this knowledge, you're
going to be a witness of what you've seen and heard. Most people
ought not witness because they are witnesses of what somebody
else has seen and heard. You know what I'm saying? They're
witnesses of what somebody else has seen and heard. They're second-hand
religion. A man ought not open his mouth
for God till he himself has seen and heard something. That's right. Not perfectly, but he has seen. He that seeth the Son, and believeth
on him. He that hears his voice. Peter
said, we can't help but preach what we've seen and heard. First John 1, he said, that which
we see and heard declare we unto you. And that's what he said. But Saul, God chose you. That
you should know his will of redemption in Christ. That you should see
clearly how God can be just and justify in the person of Jesus
Christ.

A Pattern of Conversion

What does the Bible say about mercy and salvation?

How do we know God chooses to save sinners?

Why is understanding God's long-suffering important for Christians?

How can Saul's conversion serve as a pattern for believers today?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

Comments

Joshua

Articles

Featured Authors

Podcast

Sermons

Featured Preachers

Books

Browse by Format

Music

Recent Comments

About

Legal

Subscribe

Account

Articles

Featured Authors

Podcast

Recent Comments

Sermons

Featured Preachers

Books

Browse by Format

Collections

Music

About

Legal

Subscribe

A Pattern of Conversion

What does the Bible say about mercy and salvation?

How do we know God chooses to save sinners?

Why is understanding God's long-suffering important for Christians?

How can Saul's conversion serve as a pattern for believers today?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

Comments

More from Henry Mahan

Related Sermons

Same Scripture

Articles by Henry Mahan

Books by Henry Mahan

Joshua

Where this book stands in the tradition

Plato

Augustine

The Western Christian Tradition

This Book