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Acts 9:1-25 "Suprised By Glory"
After telling us about Philip's evangelism in Samaria and with the Ethiopian, Luke brings us back to Jerusalem where Saul is still persecuting the church. However most of the Christians had by that time fled into the surrounding areas. So,
Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.
But as he was travelling something miraculous took place.
As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?" And he said, "Who are You, Lord?" Then the Lord said, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads." So he, trembling and astonished, said, "Lord, what do You want me to do?" Then the Lord said to him, "Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do."
God reached down into the life of Saul and showed him His glory. The visible glory of God is this light that Paul saw, it was so strong as to be blinding. Moses said to God, "Show me Your glory", but God told him that no man may see the face of God and live, and so he put him in the cleft of the rock and placed his hand over him and then allowed him to see His glory after He passed by. Even then the face of Moses shone when he came down from the mountain, because of the glory of God. Peter and John and James saw the glory of God on the Mount of Transfiguration and Stephen as he was being stoned said, "Look, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!" and his face was shining! Paul too, when the light shown around him, saw the glory of God, and it was too much for him. He fell to the ground.
I want to tell you what happened this Tuesday. I was invited by Alice to go to the house of a Philippina in Kawasaki to teach Bible. I was a little nervous because I don't speak Tagalog, so I invited two missionaries from the Phillipines to go with me. Before the meeting we prayed and God really blessed us in the prayer, so I told Pepito and his wife Virgie, let's wait on God for a word for this meeting. As we waited for God, I got this word, "Glory" very strongly in my mind and then before I could say anything Pepitto says, "Arise, shine for your light has come." We got the feeling that that evening we would be bringing God's light into a dark place. When we got to the meeting, I was a little shocked, there were five women there and some children, but no one came to speak with us. They were all in the kitchen, while we sat in the other room. We finally got them to sit down and shared about ourselves and the Bible, and then the woman whose house it was started to cry. She told us that just the day before she had been crying on her bed, wondering if God really loved her, or if God was really there. But then just at that time Alice had called to bring me. God reached into this woman's life and showed her at a critical time that He really is there, He really does love her. Praise God, we were able to show His glory to these women. Alice and I will be going back next week to share with them again.
Maybe you are thinking, nothing as dramatic as Saul has happened to me. I don't see the glory of God while I am walking down the street. But I know that God does reach down into your life too. Perhaps it is like this Philippina. She was not blinded, but she was reminded in a clear way that God is real and He does love her. I have shared with you about the lilies before. Before a major financial crisis in our families life, God reached down and showed me that He is real, and He loves us.
Sometimes the glory of God is not welcome. We are caught off guard. Like Saul we are shocked and dismayed. We are not ready for His awesome power. Saul came out of His experience with God physically shaken, blinded, unable to eat.
"And the men who journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice but seeing no one. Then Saul arose from the ground, and when his eyes were opened he saw no one. But they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. and he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank."
The reason why Saul was so shaken by God is because he was so radically changed. Unbelievably, the man who was breathing threats and murder, coming to Damascus to arrest the followers of Christ, is instead arrested by Jesus on the road, and brought into Damascus as a captive of Christ. This Pharisee, who thought himself so righteous, who was purging Israel of what he thought was false religion, suddenly finds himself face to face with the glory of Jesus Christ. Before this light, his own self-righteousness looks filthy, and he sees himself as he truly is, a sinner before God. Saul cries out to Jesus, "Lord, What do you want me to do?" and is told simply to go to the city and wait to be told what to do. Proud Saul who was used to giving the orders, who would take others to stand trial, is now taking orders. Surely he expected that Jesus would condemn him for the crimes he had commited just as surely as he had condemned others. Blind and alone, Saul prayed, surely his prayer was for mercy.
"Now there was a cerain disciple at Damascus named
Ananias; and to him the Lord said in a vision, "Ananias."
And he said, "Here I am, Lord." So the Lord said to him. "Arise
and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas
for one called Saul of Tarsus, for behold, he is praying. And in a vision
he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him,
so that he might receive his sight."
"Then Ananias answered, "Lord, I have heard from many about
this man, how much harm he has done to Your saidts in Jerusalem. And
here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on
Your name."
"But the Lord said to him, "Go, for he is a chosen vessel
of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings and the children of Israel.
For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name's sake."
And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and laying his hands
on him he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to
you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight
and be filled with the Holy Spirit." Immediately, there fell something
like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was
baptized."
I am reminded of the powerful scene in the movie, "The Mission" in which the cruel slave trader, Rodrigo, who had been capturing the Indians of Brazil, comes to the Lord after the death of his brother at his own hands. The Catholic priest, tells the man that his penance will be to carry all of his military gear, armor and swords, in a huge burden tied to a rope behind him. And that he would have to carry this through the jungle and up the waterfall to where the Indian's village was. Rodrigo succeeds in carrying this burden to the village and finally falls exhausted. An Indian who surely recognizes the feared and hated slaver, runs forward with a knife, but instead of cutting the man's throat, he cuts the rope, and the burden falls away into the river. Rodrigo realises that his spiritual burden has been cut away too, and he receives the forgiveness of the Indians. I am sure that this must of been what Saul felt, when Ananias placed his hand on him. Expecting and deserving judgement, even death, but instead hearing the words, "Brother Saul" These are the first words that Saul heard from a Christian after meeting Christ on the road. "Brother Saul" Indeed something like scales fell from his eyes. Saul could see clearly not only the glory of Jesus Christ, but also His love. His grace. No wonder Saul would write and preach that we are saved by Grace.
Last week we talked about hearing God's voice. Ananias is another example of this. His experience fits the pattern well. Ananias knew about Saul. The whole town was buzzing about this great man who came to arrest the Christians, but instead was led into town blind and was staying in the house of Judas. In fact Ananias probably jumped for joy when he heard the news. "Serves him right!" He might of even praised God with a Psalm, maybe Psalm 35 where David prayed concerning his enemies, "Let their way be dark and slippery, and let the angel of the Lord pursue them." But contrary to his natural inclination, against his better judgement, he hears from God. "Go". "But God!" "Go" Do you remember the two keys to hearing God's voice from Stephen. The first is being willing to "let go", sacrifice. Ananias was putting himself at risk by going to Saul. This could easily be a clever trick to get the Christians to expose themselves. The second key is obedience, following clear instructions immediately. Jesus didn't ask Ananaias to be a missionary or to devote his life to teaching Saul. His instructions were very clear, go and pray.
I really like this story of Ananias hearing the word of
God. Because this is a man that we will never hear of again. Usually
in the Bible we hear about people like Moses, or Peter or Paul having
visions and hearing the voice of God. And we automatically think. "Well
sure, HE heard God, HE was Paul!" But here is a simple Christian.
Ananias wasn't an apostle. He wasn't the leader of the Christian community
in Damascus. He never shows up again. But he heard God's voice, obeyed,
and because of this little Christian, the gospel came to Asia and Europe,
and half of the New Testament got written, because Saul would become
Paul the missionary/theologian.
Praise God for the courage of Ananias who when he put his hands on Saul
would become the loving arms of Jesus. Who was able to minister love
and forgiveness to the heart that had been breathing threats and murder.
So when he had received food, he was strengthened.
Then Saul spent some days with the disciples at Damascus. Immediately
he preached the Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God.
Then all who heard were amazed, and said, "Is this not he who destroyed
those who called on this name in Jerusalem, and has come here for that
purpose, so that he might bring them bound to the chief priests? But
Paul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who
dwelt in Damascus, proving that this Jesus is the Christ. Now after
many days were past, the Jews poltted to kill him. But their plot became
known to Saul. And they watched the gates day and night, to kill him.
Then the disciples took him by night and let him down through the wall
in a large basket.
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