Acts 9:1-9 The Conversion Of Saul

by | Jul 25, 2024 | Acts, New Testament

I. Saul’s Sinful Condition Prior To Conversion

A. Saul Persecuted Christians Vs. 1, 2

1. Received letters from High Priest to arrest Christians.
2. “Breathing threats & murder…” Panting; “desperately and incessantly bent”
3. See also Acts 8:3-raged liked a wild beast; Acts 22:3-5, 17-21; Acts 26:9-11
4. Damascus-130 miles from Jerusalem. A 7 day trip on mules.
5. Gal. 1:13 “…I persecuted the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it.”

B. Saul Persecuted Jesus Vs. 4, 5

1. Saul may have been present during the trial of Jesus before the Sanhedrin.
2. We don’t read about Saul personally persecuting Jesus.
3. Saul persecuted Jesus by persecuting Jesus’ followers.

C. All Have Sinned

1. Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and fallen short of the glory of God.
2. Like Saul, we have all…

a. Sinned against God
b. Sinned against people

II. Saul Confronted By Jesus Vs. 3-5

Albert Barnes- He arrested his attention; alarmed him at his guilt; & presented the truth respecting himself.

A. Confronted By Light V. 3

1. Saul was confronted not only by physical light of Jesus’ presence, but by the spiritual light of God that uncovered Saul’s sin.
2. Turn to John 3:19-21
3. Jesus confronts each of us regarding our own sins.

a. We may begin to feel the light of His holiness shining on us, thru the words or actions of a Christian, or maybe from a sermon, or Christian radio or T.V.
b. Jesus confronts us in many ways.
c. We will either repent, or we will flee from Him, not wanting our sins exposed.

B. Confronted Regarding Sin V. 4b

1. Jesus named Saul’s sin. Jesus charged Saul with sin.
2. Jesus asks Saul why? John 15:25 “They hated Me without a cause.”
3. There is no good reason to resist or hate Jesus, yet people do both.

C. Regarding His Resistance Against Jesus V. 5b

1. Goads- Sharp stick used to prod oxen to pull a plow.
2. To kick against the goad brought self injury and a worsening of the situation.
3. Barnes- No man can resist God or his own conscience and be happy.
4. Saul’s resistance wasn’t a matter of ignorance, but of stubbornness & self will.
5. Romans 1:18, 19 18For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them.
6. Suppress the truth- to know the truth, and yet to “hold it down, resist it”.
7. Like Saul, many people deny the truth about Jesus Christ.
8. They resist the truth, & become increasingly spiritually dull.
9. Rom. 1:18-32 Resisting the truth brings increasing sp. blindness, & deeper depravity.
10. John 12:35-39a “A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going. 36While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.” These things Jesus spoke, and departed, and was hidden from them. 37But although He had done so many signs before them, they did not believe in Him,… 39Therefore they could not believe,

III. Saul Surrenders To Jesus

A. Saul Overcome By Jesus’ Brightness

1. Jesus overpowers Saul. A light brighter than the sun.
2. Jesus takes away Saul’s self-reliance, in order to save him.
3. Saul could have continued to resist Jesus, but he didn’t.

B. Saul Recognizes The Lordship Of Jesus

1. At first, he simply says Lord, which means sir, master, Lord, or God.
2. Then Jesus identifies Himself. Acts 22- “Jesus of Nazareth”.
3. If Saul was at Jesus’ trial, he would have heard the claims of Jesus.
4. Jesus, the former passive criminal, he now recognizes Jesus as Messiah.

C. Saul Voices His Surrender

1. What do you want me to do? That is the cry of a surrendered heart
2. Saul did not question, object, defend himself, or offer another suggestion.
3. Acts 26:19 19“Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision,…

D. Thoughts Regarding Saul’s Conversion

1. Saul depended upon man’s power and authority; but surrendered to God’s power.
2. Saul wanted to destroy Jesus’ work & His people. Jesus wanted to save Saul.
3. Saul viewed Christians as wrong & dangerous; Saul was wrong & dangerous.
4. Saul: extremely well educated, extremely zealous, & extremely wrong re. Jesus.
5. All that Saul had built his life upon was shaken in one moment.
6. Matt. 7:26,27 26“But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: 27and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”