From
Acts to Revelation
Part
23 – Saul Blinded
Pastor Bruce A. Shields
House
of Faith Church | www.PS127.org | www.TruthDigest.org
INTRODUCTION
Saul was introduced to us as a young man
working with those who stoned Stephen at the end of Acts 7. They
laid their cloaks at his feet while they killed Stephen, and the scriptures
tell us that Saul consented to the death of Stephen.
Because of the persecution lead by people
like Saul, the church in Jerusalem dispersed, traveling to Judea and Samaria.
Today we are going to look at Saul, and how
his hate for followers of Christ grew to the point it consumed him.
Sometimes, when a truth is presented to us,
it has such a profound effect on us, that it becomes difficult to accept. The
bigger the truth, or the bigger our “self”, the more difficult it is to allow
God to do a work in us.
We will see how, God, judged Saul, not by
his actions, but by his heart, and how Saul, through obedience, became a
servant to the Lord.
Two weeks ago, before we took our break for
Passover, we saw Saul hunting Disciples.
The scriptures say, “Saul spoke threats
and slaughter against the Disciples of the Lord.”
We then see the Lord appear to him, and
speak. Saul, trembling and astonished, submitted to the Lord, or became
“saved”, and asked the Lord, “What will You have me do?”
And the Lord said to him, “Arise, and go
into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE
Acts 9:8-9
8 Saul
got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So
they led him by the hand into Damascus. 9 For three days he was blind, and
did not eat or drink anything.
I.
HAVE YOU MET WITH THE LORD?
a.
There are three steps to the relationship
the Lord wants with you today.
i.
Meet with Him
1.
The first will of God is Salvation.
2.
Your personal Salvation is God's first will for you in your life.
3.
Have you met with the Lord?
4.
Not all have experiences like Saul or Moses.
5.
However, we MUST all meet with the Lord.
6.
Saul met the Lord on this day.
II. Illustration:
My personal experience meeting with the Lord was somewhat like
Saul's, in the sense that I, like Saul, did not know I was seeking the Lord. I,
like Saul, believed “I was right with God”, although my life told a different
story.
When I met with the Lord, I was at the end of my ropes, as it
were. I had given up on myself, and given up on life. But God had never given
up on wanting me.
We underestimate God's love for us, and the lengths at which He
will travel for one soul. The scriptures teach that our Shepherd will leave the
99 safe in the pastures to retrieve the 1 lost in the wilderness.
I do not know how many times my Shepherd called me before I
responded. But I do know that when I needed Him most, I realized He was there
the entire time, calling me home.
i.
Submit to Him
1.
The second will of God is Service.
2.
This is called “The Great Commission”
(a) Take
the Gospel into ALL THE WORLD (the church does this, do you?)
(b) Baptizing
in name of Father, Son & Holy Spirit (Full Gospel) “ “ “ “ “ “?
(c) THEN,
teach them to obey all the Jesus commands. “ “ “ “ “ “?
3.
You cannot serve by proxy.
(a) Your
service cannot be “done” by another.
(b) You
cannot “ride” your spouses, or your churches coat-tails into heaven.
(c) YOU
must SERVE...
4.
We see in the scripture that Saul submitted to the Lord this day,
and was ready to serve.
ii.
WAKE UP!
1.
The third will of God is asking Him, “What will You have me do
Lord?”
2. “11 And do
this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake
up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we
first believed. 12 The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us
put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.” - Romans
13:9-12
3. Many have met the
Lord, and say they have submitted, but do not serve.
(a) How has one
submitted if he does not serve?
(i) A police officer is
sworn to serve, but if he is hired to be an officer, takes the sworn oath, and
sits around, never doing his job, is he serving?
(ii) Self-serving,
perhaps.
(b) Have you sworn an
oath, yet do not serve?
(c) OBEY – (verb)
Comply with the command, direction, or request of (a person or a law); submit
to the authority of. Carry out (a command or instruction)
(d) How does one “obey”
if he does not “do”?
(i) Works does NOT save
us, however, if we are saved, we WILL have works!
(e) Many deceive
themselves into thinking they have a right and healthy relationship with the
Lord, yet they slumber when it comes to service.
4. Saul asks the
question, which comes from complete submission, “Lord, what will You have me
do?”
iii. HAVE
YOU SUBMITTED TO THE LORD?
1.
In scripture, MANY met with the Lord, but not all submit.
(a) The
rich young man
(b) Sadducee
(c) Pharisee
(d) Ananias
and Saphira
2.
Just because you may have met with the Lord, does NOT mean you
submitted to Him.
3.
Saul asked the question, showing he submitted, but he proved it
with OBEDIENCE!
III.
ARE YOU STILL BLIND?
a. Saul
was blinded by the glory of the Lord that day
i.
So many today meet with the Lord, ask what they should do for Him,
then continue through life, blinded, because they did not obey.
ii. Saul
fasted for three days and nights after meeting with the Lord.
1. Fasting
is an exercise which brings our flesh under submission to our spirit.
2. If our
spirit is in union with God's, we can get our sinful flesh under control of
God's Spirit through fasting and prayer.
3. Saul
was telling his body it was going to obey the Spirit of God.
b. Saul's
obedience led him into a right relationship with the Lord
i.
You cannot have a relationship with the Lord unless you meet with
Him.
ii. Once
you meet with Him, you must submit to Him.
iii. Once
you submit to Him, you must serve Him.
c. Are you
serving the Lord today?
i.
Have you asked Him what it is He would have you do?
ii. But
more importantly, are you doing it?
CONCLUSION
Our submission is not mere
words, but obeying the lord's commands. Service to the Lord is a MUST from
those who are saved.
Are you in obedience to the
Lord in your life today?
Or are you still blind,
wandering around aimlessly, thinking everything is all right?
