1 00:00:00,540 –> 00:00:02,860 We’re looking this morning at the conversion 2 00:00:02,860 –> 00:00:05,140 of the Apostle Paul. 3 00:00:05,140 –> 00:00:07,820 The story is told for us three times 4 00:00:07,820 –> 00:00:10,140 in the book of Acts, here in chapter 9 5 00:00:10,140 –> 00:00:14,660 and also in chapter 22 and in chapter 26. 6 00:00:14,660 –> 00:00:17,100 We will refer to each of these accounts 7 00:00:17,100 –> 00:00:21,059 in order to get a full picture of this remarkable story. 8 00:00:22,540 –> 00:00:24,980 Now, I want right from the beginning 9 00:00:24,980 –> 00:00:29,420 for us to grasp the relevance of what is before us today. 10 00:00:30,920 –> 00:00:34,119 First, this is a story about anger. 11 00:00:36,000 –> 00:00:39,900 Verse one, Saul was breathing threats and murder. 12 00:00:41,759 –> 00:00:43,400 We are living, and perhaps this 13 00:00:43,400 –> 00:00:47,939 is the defining point of our culture at this time, 14 00:00:47,939 –> 00:00:51,119 we are living in an age of outrage. 15 00:00:52,759 –> 00:00:55,139 The issues on which particular groups 16 00:00:55,139 –> 00:00:58,000 of people are angry vary, but the sense 17 00:00:58,340 –> 00:01:01,320 of outrage seems to be almost universal. 18 00:01:03,119 –> 00:01:05,800 This is a story particularly about anger 19 00:01:05,800 –> 00:01:08,320 against Christians, Saul was breathing 20 00:01:08,320 –> 00:01:11,919 threats and slaughter against the disciples 21 00:01:11,919 –> 00:01:15,580 of the Lord, Saul had it in for Christians. 22 00:01:15,580 –> 00:01:18,120 If you have ever felt anger towards 23 00:01:18,120 –> 00:01:22,320 another Christian, the story is for you. 24 00:01:23,199 –> 00:01:27,320 And notice that his anger had built up 25 00:01:27,320 –> 00:01:32,019 over a period of time, Saul was still 26 00:01:32,019 –> 00:01:35,040 breathing threats and slaughter, 27 00:01:35,040 –> 00:01:38,459 the worst kind of anger is the smoldering kind. 28 00:01:40,300 –> 00:01:42,199 It begins with you being offended, 29 00:01:42,199 –> 00:01:44,919 you internalize that, you sit on it, 30 00:01:44,919 –> 00:01:49,919 and it stays there, and while it smolders 31 00:01:50,919 –> 00:01:54,000 it hollows you out from the inside. 32 00:01:56,199 –> 00:02:00,959 Then secondly, this is a story that is 33 00:02:00,959 –> 00:02:04,459 profoundly relevant, not only to our culture, 34 00:02:04,459 –> 00:02:06,940 an angry culture, but to our world today 35 00:02:06,940 –> 00:02:10,820 because it is a story, of course, about violence. 36 00:02:12,279 –> 00:02:14,919 This is the story of a religious man 37 00:02:14,919 –> 00:02:17,199 who turned to violence. 38 00:02:18,100 –> 00:02:22,660 Saul, of course, was motivated by the profound conviction 39 00:02:22,660 –> 00:02:26,119 that people of another religion should be eliminated. 40 00:02:27,639 –> 00:02:30,899 He made it his personal mission 41 00:02:30,899 –> 00:02:34,919 to destroy people of a certain belief. 42 00:02:36,220 –> 00:02:40,919 He believed that he was serving God in doing this. 43 00:02:42,300 –> 00:02:45,440 Now you can immediately see the relevance, then, 44 00:02:45,440 –> 00:02:47,339 of this story to our world 45 00:02:47,339 –> 00:02:50,960 where we are plagued with acts of terrorism, 46 00:02:51,860 –> 00:02:55,179 where the suicide bomber sincerely believes 47 00:02:55,179 –> 00:02:56,860 that he is doing the will of God 48 00:02:56,860 –> 00:03:00,240 and will be handsomely rewarded in heaven 49 00:03:01,660 –> 00:03:03,979 for his taking of the lives of others. 50 00:03:05,380 –> 00:03:08,820 That was exactly the position of this man, Saul of Tarsus. 51 00:03:08,820 –> 00:03:12,660 He was breathing out not only threats but murder. 52 00:03:13,479 –> 00:03:18,479 He is ruthless, he is relentless in a campaign of violence 53 00:03:18,960 –> 00:03:21,360 and he acts in the name of God, 54 00:03:21,360 –> 00:03:25,539 convinced that God will reward him for what he is doing. 55 00:03:28,080 –> 00:03:31,559 And then, as well as its relevance to our angry culture 56 00:03:31,559 –> 00:03:33,300 and to our violent world, 57 00:03:33,300 –> 00:03:36,339 I want you to see that it is a story 58 00:03:36,339 –> 00:03:39,639 that is relevant to us and speaks to us 59 00:03:39,639 –> 00:03:42,619 in a profoundly personal way. 60 00:03:42,899 –> 00:03:48,020 For this reason, that the conversion of Saul of Tarsus 61 00:03:49,440 –> 00:03:54,440 is a model of what must happen for every one of us 62 00:03:55,100 –> 00:03:57,559 if we are to truly become Christian. 63 00:03:59,820 –> 00:04:01,759 Now your reaction to that statement 64 00:04:01,759 –> 00:04:05,919 may be, understandably to say, surely not. 65 00:04:07,100 –> 00:04:12,100 Surely the experience of Saul of Tarsus was unique 66 00:04:13,179 –> 00:04:15,679 something never to be repeated. 67 00:04:17,140 –> 00:04:19,079 I mean, think about what happened to him 68 00:04:19,079 –> 00:04:21,839 as it’s recalled for us here, verse three and four, 69 00:04:21,839 –> 00:04:24,859 as he went on his way, he approached Damascus 70 00:04:24,859 –> 00:04:29,339 and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him 71 00:04:29,339 –> 00:04:30,679 and falling to the ground, 72 00:04:30,679 –> 00:04:34,299 he heard a voice, heard a voice saying to him, 73 00:04:34,299 –> 00:04:37,700 Saul, Saul why are you persecuting me? 74 00:04:38,679 –> 00:04:43,279 So he sees a blinding, literally blinding light 75 00:04:44,559 –> 00:04:47,299 and he hears an audible voice 76 00:04:47,299 –> 00:04:50,720 and this was not a man by the way hearing voices in his head 77 00:04:50,720 –> 00:04:52,200 because verse seven tells us 78 00:04:52,200 –> 00:04:55,760 that those who were traveling with him heard the voice. 79 00:04:56,760 –> 00:04:58,940 But this was not a psychological experience. 80 00:04:58,940 –> 00:05:03,399 Saul actually heard the voice of the Son of God 81 00:05:03,399 –> 00:05:06,239 as clearly as you are hearing my voice right now. 82 00:05:08,200 –> 00:05:10,320 And the blinding light was certainly not 83 00:05:10,320 –> 00:05:14,260 some kind of a hallucination taking place in his mind, why? 84 00:05:14,260 –> 00:05:16,179 Because the effects of the blinding light 85 00:05:16,179 –> 00:05:18,899 were that Saul could no longer see. 86 00:05:18,899 –> 00:05:20,440 Couldn’t put one foot in front of another 87 00:05:20,440 –> 00:05:22,859 without being led by the hand. 88 00:05:22,859 –> 00:05:25,540 The blinding light burned his retina 89 00:05:27,359 –> 00:05:29,299 so that the man 90 00:05:29,299 –> 00:05:31,059 who had come to arrest others 91 00:05:31,059 –> 00:05:32,420 ends up going into the city 92 00:05:32,420 –> 00:05:33,980 where he proposes these arrests 93 00:05:33,980 –> 00:05:37,179 and he himself is the one who has to be led by the hand. 94 00:05:37,179 –> 00:05:38,279 Can’t see a thing. 95 00:05:40,420 –> 00:05:43,940 So you read this story about a blinding light 96 00:05:44,899 –> 00:05:47,579 and the audible voice of the Son of God 97 00:05:48,619 –> 00:05:51,019 and your natural reaction is to say 98 00:05:51,019 –> 00:05:54,059 this story is about as remote 99 00:05:54,059 –> 00:05:56,739 from my conversion experience 100 00:05:56,739 –> 00:05:59,160 as anything could possibly be 101 00:05:59,160 –> 00:05:59,980 and yet 102 00:06:01,299 –> 00:06:06,299 I’m saying to you from 1 Timothy chapter one and 16 103 00:06:06,339 –> 00:06:10,200 that this is a model for what must happen 104 00:06:10,200 –> 00:06:11,299 to every one of us 105 00:06:11,299 –> 00:06:13,339 and that’s exactly what Paul says there. 106 00:06:13,339 –> 00:06:15,339 He says, I received mercy. 107 00:06:15,339 –> 00:06:18,720 He’s referring to what happened on the Damascus Road. 108 00:06:18,720 –> 00:06:20,260 And why did I receive mercy? 109 00:06:20,260 –> 00:06:22,859 That in me the foremost Jesus Christ 110 00:06:22,859 –> 00:06:27,200 might display his perfect patience as an example. 111 00:06:28,619 –> 00:06:32,940 What happened to me happened as an example he says 112 00:06:33,940 –> 00:06:38,459 for all who will believe in him for eternal life. 113 00:06:38,459 –> 00:06:42,880 Now, that then raises the question in what sense 114 00:06:42,880 –> 00:06:46,260 is the experience of the Apostle Paul, 115 00:06:46,260 –> 00:06:49,940 the experience of Saul of Tarsus as he was at that time 116 00:06:49,940 –> 00:06:51,540 on the road to Damascus, 117 00:06:51,540 –> 00:06:54,299 in what sense was that experience a model 118 00:06:54,299 –> 00:06:56,440 an example to use Paul’s word? 119 00:06:56,440 –> 00:06:59,540 A pattern for us. 120 00:07:00,420 –> 00:07:02,260 Clearly Paul does not mean that 121 00:07:02,260 –> 00:07:03,859 in order to become a Christian, 122 00:07:03,859 –> 00:07:07,339 you have to hear an audible voice of the son of God 123 00:07:07,339 –> 00:07:09,940 and you have to be blinded by a light from Heaven. 124 00:07:09,940 –> 00:07:14,940 So what happened to him that must also happen to us 125 00:07:14,980 –> 00:07:18,380 because he says my experience was an example. 126 00:07:18,380 –> 00:07:21,380 An example, a model, a pattern. 127 00:07:23,019 –> 00:07:24,980 So I want to give to you from this story 128 00:07:24,980 –> 00:07:27,260 that speaks so powerfully to us today 129 00:07:27,260 –> 00:07:29,480 three marks of genuine conversion. 130 00:07:30,619 –> 00:07:31,980 Number one. 131 00:07:32,540 –> 00:07:37,540 You come to a true knowledge of Jesus Christ. 132 00:07:39,179 –> 00:07:40,679 This is what happened to him 133 00:07:41,839 –> 00:07:44,940 and this is what must happen to all of us 134 00:07:44,940 –> 00:07:49,679 if we are to be true Christians. 135 00:07:49,679 –> 00:07:52,579 Who are you Lord, he says. 136 00:07:53,859 –> 00:07:55,540 To which the son of God answers, 137 00:07:55,540 –> 00:08:00,160 I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. 138 00:08:01,059 –> 00:08:02,720 Who are you Lord? 139 00:08:04,399 –> 00:08:09,399 Now Saul of Tarsus knew a very great deal about Jesus. 140 00:08:09,519 –> 00:08:11,399 About that there can be no question. 141 00:08:12,600 –> 00:08:14,640 This man was a brilliant scholar 142 00:08:15,940 –> 00:08:20,320 and he had chosen to specialize, 143 00:08:20,320 –> 00:08:25,320 to make his name on a campaign 144 00:08:25,399 –> 00:08:30,399 that was targeted against the followers of Jesus. 145 00:08:31,519 –> 00:08:35,559 He had made this study his speciality. 146 00:08:37,039 –> 00:08:39,119 He knew the claim of Christians 147 00:08:39,119 –> 00:08:41,219 that Jesus was the promised Messiah, 148 00:08:42,880 –> 00:08:45,320 that he was born of a virgin, 149 00:08:45,320 –> 00:08:47,880 the claim that he had lived a perfect life, 150 00:08:47,880 –> 00:08:51,039 fulfilling all that God has ever called us to do. 151 00:08:51,039 –> 00:08:56,359 He knew that Jesus had died on a cross, 152 00:08:57,820 –> 00:08:59,559 he would not doubt have put it this way 153 00:08:59,559 –> 00:09:01,359 that the spin 154 00:09:01,359 –> 00:09:03,479 that the followers of Jesus 155 00:09:04,419 –> 00:09:05,960 had put on his death 156 00:09:05,960 –> 00:09:08,359 was that far from being an ignominious defeat, 157 00:09:08,359 –> 00:09:11,140 he had laid down his life and a perfect sacrifice 158 00:09:11,140 –> 00:09:13,559 that was the end of all sacrifices. 159 00:09:15,479 –> 00:09:17,479 He knew that they claimed 160 00:09:17,479 –> 00:09:19,880 that God had vindicated this Jesus 161 00:09:19,880 –> 00:09:21,460 by raising him from the dead. 162 00:09:21,460 –> 00:09:23,219 All of this was a matter of public record. 163 00:09:23,219 –> 00:09:25,260 Well known in Jerusalem. 164 00:09:25,260 –> 00:09:27,979 Peter had declared it publicly on the day of Pentecost, 165 00:09:27,979 –> 00:09:30,539 Saul of Tarsus had been right there 166 00:09:30,539 –> 00:09:33,520 listening to the defense that Stephen made 167 00:09:33,520 –> 00:09:35,159 before his martyrdom 168 00:09:35,159 –> 00:09:36,659 and therefore heard the whole 169 00:09:36,659 –> 00:09:39,179 of the presentation of the gospel 170 00:09:39,179 –> 00:09:42,440 that is recorded for us in Acts and chapter seven. 171 00:09:44,020 –> 00:09:47,739 Now having chosen to make his name 172 00:09:47,739 –> 00:09:51,799 and his career as the great oppressor 173 00:09:51,799 –> 00:09:53,119 of followers of Jesus, 174 00:09:53,119 –> 00:09:56,619 there can be no doubt that Saul of Tarsus 175 00:09:56,619 –> 00:09:59,640 knew a very great deal about Jesus. 176 00:10:01,599 –> 00:10:04,640 But reflecting on his conversion 177 00:10:04,640 –> 00:10:06,520 in first Timothy in chapter one, 178 00:10:06,520 –> 00:10:09,299 he makes this very fascinating statement. 179 00:10:09,299 –> 00:10:11,700 He says I was a blasphemer, a persecutor 180 00:10:11,700 –> 00:10:14,940 and an insolent person but I received mercy 181 00:10:14,940 –> 00:10:18,500 because I had acted ignorantly, 182 00:10:19,619 –> 00:10:20,460 ignorantly. 183 00:10:22,500 –> 00:10:26,900 So Saul knew what Christians believed. 184 00:10:28,179 –> 00:10:31,400 Saul knew how Christians lived 185 00:10:32,320 –> 00:10:36,320 and yet he says I acted ignorantly, why? 186 00:10:37,400 –> 00:10:39,599 Because you see at its heart 187 00:10:40,619 –> 00:10:43,960 the Christian faith is not a set of beliefs 188 00:10:44,359 –> 00:10:45,179 to be debated. 189 00:10:46,320 –> 00:10:48,719 At its heart the Christian faith 190 00:10:48,719 –> 00:10:51,760 is not a way of life to be considered. 191 00:10:52,640 –> 00:10:55,940 At its heart the Christian faith 192 00:10:56,799 –> 00:10:59,020 is about a glorious person 193 00:10:59,859 –> 00:11:03,159 who even his enemies cannot ultimately avoid. 194 00:11:05,200 –> 00:11:07,960 Saul you see would have viewed 195 00:11:07,960 –> 00:11:11,080 the Christian faith as organized religion. 196 00:11:11,080 –> 00:11:13,520 That’s the phrase that gets used today isn’t it. 197 00:11:14,440 –> 00:11:18,820 A means of manipulation and of exercising social control, 198 00:11:18,820 –> 00:11:21,919 a set of beliefs that puts a spin 199 00:11:21,919 –> 00:11:24,200 on the life and the death of Jesus 200 00:11:24,200 –> 00:11:26,599 in order to claim the loyalty 201 00:11:26,599 –> 00:11:30,460 and no doubt the money of naive and unsuspecting people. 202 00:11:30,460 –> 00:11:32,520 On and on we’ve heard all of that. 203 00:11:34,440 –> 00:11:36,460 And when Saul thought down that line 204 00:11:36,460 –> 00:11:39,320 it made him angry as it makes lots of people angry today. 205 00:11:39,320 –> 00:11:40,679 Set himself against it, 206 00:11:40,679 –> 00:11:43,140 I’m against this organized religion. 207 00:11:43,159 –> 00:11:46,020 I see it as a manipulation of people 208 00:11:46,020 –> 00:11:47,960 and it’s got to be wiped out 209 00:11:47,960 –> 00:11:52,619 and he decides to do everything in his power to destroy it. 210 00:11:54,460 –> 00:11:57,820 So he strides out for the city of Damascus 211 00:11:57,820 –> 00:12:00,500 but then suddenly falls to the ground. 212 00:12:01,940 –> 00:12:05,840 He’s stopped in his tracks by a blinding light 213 00:12:05,840 –> 00:12:07,679 and he sees, 214 00:12:08,580 –> 00:12:10,020 the risen Lord. 215 00:12:10,539 –> 00:12:14,640 Do you know, there are three accounts in the New Testament 216 00:12:14,640 –> 00:12:16,580 of seeing the glory of the Lord 217 00:12:17,400 –> 00:12:19,460 and all of them have one thing in common. 218 00:12:21,359 –> 00:12:23,000 You have it in the transfiguration, 219 00:12:23,000 –> 00:12:26,000 you remember when the disciples Peter, James and John 220 00:12:26,000 –> 00:12:28,280 went up the mountain with Jesus 221 00:12:28,280 –> 00:12:31,780 and it says that he was transfigured before them 222 00:12:31,780 –> 00:12:33,500 and his face shone 223 00:12:33,500 –> 00:12:37,859 like the sun and his clothes became white as light 224 00:12:37,859 –> 00:12:40,000 and then they not only saw 225 00:12:40,539 –> 00:12:41,760 the glory of Jesus, 226 00:12:41,760 –> 00:12:45,000 they heard the audible voice of God, 227 00:12:45,000 –> 00:12:47,280 this is my beloved son with whom I am well, 228 00:12:47,280 –> 00:12:49,640 please listen to him and what happened next? 229 00:12:49,640 –> 00:12:51,440 When the disciples heard this, 230 00:12:51,440 –> 00:12:53,179 they fell on their faces 231 00:12:53,179 –> 00:12:54,419 and they were terrified 232 00:12:56,239 –> 00:12:57,559 on the ground. 233 00:12:59,440 –> 00:13:02,119 You have exactly the same thing in the book of Revelation 234 00:13:02,119 –> 00:13:06,440 where the apostle John who at length on Jesus’ breast 235 00:13:06,440 –> 00:13:09,119 that the communion service at the last supper 236 00:13:09,119 –> 00:13:10,640 but now he sees the glory 237 00:13:10,640 –> 00:13:13,760 of the risen Lord exalted and in Heaven 238 00:13:13,760 –> 00:13:16,719 and we’re told that he saw one like the Son of man 239 00:13:16,719 –> 00:13:19,880 and his eyes were like a flaming fire 240 00:13:21,239 –> 00:13:23,419 that his voice, he heard the voice 241 00:13:23,419 –> 00:13:26,320 was like the sound of many waters 242 00:13:26,320 –> 00:13:29,020 and John says, when I saw Him, 243 00:13:29,020 –> 00:13:31,719 I fell at his feet is though dead 244 00:13:33,359 –> 00:13:34,599 on the ground. 245 00:13:35,419 –> 00:13:38,380 the sheer glory of his presence, 246 00:13:38,380 –> 00:13:41,219 the sheer authority of his voice 247 00:13:42,280 –> 00:13:43,619 and here on the Damascus Road 248 00:13:43,619 –> 00:13:45,479 we have it precisely the same thing 249 00:13:45,479 –> 00:13:47,500 here is Saul, he thinks he knows everything 250 00:13:47,500 –> 00:13:49,520 about Christianity, he hasn’t yet 251 00:13:49,520 –> 00:13:52,400 encountered the living, risen Lord 252 00:13:52,400 –> 00:13:54,919 and when he’s surrounded by the glorious light 253 00:13:54,919 –> 00:13:57,580 of the presence of the risen Lord Jesus Christ 254 00:13:57,580 –> 00:14:01,880 he hears his voice, he’s on the ground 255 00:14:02,260 –> 00:14:05,340 and this man who has exercised such power 256 00:14:05,340 –> 00:14:09,179 is absolutely helpless. 257 00:14:11,440 –> 00:14:16,059 Now you may say this all sounds very remote from me 258 00:14:16,059 –> 00:14:18,840 I have never had a Damascus Road experience 259 00:14:18,840 –> 00:14:22,340 I’m saying to you today one day you will 260 00:14:23,400 –> 00:14:25,440 I’m gripped by this thought today 261 00:14:25,440 –> 00:14:27,359 that every person in this first service 262 00:14:27,359 –> 00:14:30,059 will one day stand in the presence of Jesus Christ 263 00:14:32,219 –> 00:14:33,059 you will 264 00:14:34,880 –> 00:14:37,679 What happened to Saul of Tarsus will my friend 265 00:14:37,679 –> 00:14:39,280 happen to you 266 00:14:41,419 –> 00:14:45,219 One day you will be face to face with Jesus Christ 267 00:14:45,219 –> 00:14:47,960 you will find yourself in his glorious presence 268 00:14:47,960 –> 00:14:50,200 you will hear the voice of the Son of God 269 00:14:50,200 –> 00:14:52,419 call out your name 270 00:14:53,960 –> 00:14:56,059 and he’ll say to you now I am Jesus 271 00:14:57,520 –> 00:14:58,479 I am Jesus 272 00:15:01,359 –> 00:15:02,900 in the first world War 273 00:15:04,679 –> 00:15:08,080 there was a military chaplain 274 00:15:09,760 –> 00:15:12,359 who became known as Woodbine Willy 275 00:15:12,359 –> 00:15:13,719 that was his nickname 276 00:15:14,739 –> 00:15:16,219 and he got that name, of course 277 00:15:16,219 –> 00:15:17,739 because 278 00:15:17,739 –> 00:15:21,960 he gave woodbine cigarettes to the soldiers in the trenches 279 00:15:21,960 –> 00:15:23,919 in the first World War 280 00:15:23,919 –> 00:15:25,539 he was a remarkable chaplain 281 00:15:26,500 –> 00:15:28,460 his real name was Stuart Kennedy 282 00:15:29,739 –> 00:15:32,619 and he had a remarkable ministry to men 283 00:15:32,619 –> 00:15:35,479 who were literally on the verge of eternity 284 00:15:37,460 –> 00:15:41,539 one of the means of his ministry was that he wrote poems 285 00:15:42,719 –> 00:15:44,799 and one of them was about a soldier 286 00:15:45,640 –> 00:15:46,979 Who had a dream 287 00:15:48,119 –> 00:15:50,200 in which he saw himself 288 00:15:50,200 –> 00:15:53,000 in the presence of the Lord 289 00:15:53,000 –> 00:15:58,000 looking into the eyes of Jesus Christ 290 00:15:58,659 –> 00:16:03,539 John says when I saw him, his eyes were like flaming fire 291 00:16:06,700 –> 00:16:09,159 the poem’s written in the cockney dialect 292 00:16:10,299 –> 00:16:12,460 so I’ve translated it 293 00:16:13,580 –> 00:16:16,239 and adapted it just a little 294 00:16:17,380 –> 00:16:18,500 for your comprehension 295 00:16:19,179 –> 00:16:20,760 the poem is called Well 296 00:16:23,020 –> 00:16:26,320 the other night I dreamed a dream 297 00:16:27,919 –> 00:16:29,840 and just between me and you 298 00:16:31,119 –> 00:16:34,039 I never dreamed like this before 299 00:16:34,799 –> 00:16:36,380 I half thought it was true 300 00:16:38,320 –> 00:16:41,140 I dreamed that I was dead you see 301 00:16:41,140 –> 00:16:42,940 at least that I had died 302 00:16:43,940 –> 00:16:48,900 for I was very much alive out there on the other side 303 00:16:51,260 –> 00:16:52,700 and then in this dream 304 00:16:53,000 –> 00:16:56,479 he finds himself looking into the eyes 305 00:16:57,080 –> 00:16:58,719 the face 306 00:16:59,280 –> 00:17:01,640 of Jesus Christ just him 307 00:17:01,640 –> 00:17:02,640 and Jesus 308 00:17:04,520 –> 00:17:05,939 he writes these words 309 00:17:07,500 –> 00:17:09,160 there ain’t no books 310 00:17:10,020 –> 00:17:11,660 and there ain’t no thrones 311 00:17:11,660 –> 00:17:14,040 it’s him you’ve got to see 312 00:17:15,040 –> 00:17:16,140 it’s him 313 00:17:16,780 –> 00:17:17,780 just him 314 00:17:18,560 –> 00:17:21,619 who is the judge of blokes like you and me 315 00:17:22,780 –> 00:17:25,819 and boys, I’d sooner frizzle up 316 00:17:25,819 –> 00:17:28,199 in the flames of a burning hell 317 00:17:28,199 –> 00:17:31,099 than stand and look into those 318 00:17:31,099 –> 00:17:34,079 eyes and hear his voice 319 00:17:34,180 –> 00:17:36,040 say well 320 00:17:37,599 –> 00:17:38,599 well 321 00:17:40,060 –> 00:17:43,479 one day you will see Jesus Christ 322 00:17:43,479 –> 00:17:46,459 and hear his voice as truly as Saul 323 00:17:46,459 –> 00:17:49,459 of Tarsus did on the road to Damascus, you will 324 00:17:50,839 –> 00:17:53,439 what happened to him will happen to you 325 00:17:55,119 –> 00:17:56,900 the Son of God will call out your name 326 00:17:56,920 –> 00:17:59,359 and he will say to you, I am 327 00:18:00,199 –> 00:18:01,479 Jesus 328 00:18:03,619 –> 00:18:05,839 now you may think you see of Christianity 329 00:18:05,839 –> 00:18:07,380 as a set of beliefs 330 00:18:07,760 –> 00:18:09,180 that you’re gonna go on debating 331 00:18:11,060 –> 00:18:13,219 a way of life that you’re gonna go on considering 332 00:18:13,219 –> 00:18:14,839 is this something I really want to do 333 00:18:16,739 –> 00:18:18,979 and I’m saying to you from the Bible today 334 00:18:18,979 –> 00:18:21,699 that what you are dealing with primarily here 335 00:18:21,699 –> 00:18:23,099 is a person 336 00:18:23,099 –> 00:18:25,260 and not any person 337 00:18:25,260 –> 00:18:27,000 this glorious person 338 00:18:27,000 –> 00:18:28,260 the Son of God 339 00:18:28,260 –> 00:18:29,739 and you cannot avoid it 340 00:18:32,040 –> 00:18:33,900 you see Paul would say to us when he says 341 00:18:33,900 –> 00:18:35,280 I acted ignorantly 342 00:18:35,280 –> 00:18:36,939 he knew all about Christianity 343 00:18:38,359 –> 00:18:40,420 but this was the point at which he was ignorant 344 00:18:40,420 –> 00:18:42,839 I thought I knew about Christianity 345 00:18:42,839 –> 00:18:44,160 but here’s what I’d missed 346 00:18:44,160 –> 00:18:45,880 I missed the Sovereign Lord 347 00:18:45,880 –> 00:18:47,739 who lays claim to every life 348 00:18:47,739 –> 00:18:49,239 including mine 349 00:18:51,099 –> 00:18:52,839 that there is a Sovereign Lord in heaven 350 00:18:52,839 –> 00:18:55,920 and that his name is Jesus 351 00:18:57,959 –> 00:19:01,040 you are not dealing here with something 352 00:19:02,520 –> 00:19:05,119 you are dealing here with someone 353 00:19:06,079 –> 00:19:09,760 and seeing who he is will change everything 354 00:19:11,520 –> 00:19:13,660 What are the marks of a genuine conversion? 355 00:19:13,660 –> 00:19:18,660 Number one, you come to a true knowledge 356 00:19:18,839 –> 00:19:21,040 of Jesus Christ 357 00:19:22,099 –> 00:19:23,640 the number two that follows from it 358 00:19:23,640 –> 00:19:27,880 you therefore come to a true knowledge of yourself 359 00:19:30,900 –> 00:19:34,140 Saul, Saul, why are you persecuted? 360 00:19:35,180 –> 00:19:36,119 Me 361 00:19:37,780 –> 00:19:40,339 Now, remember that Saul saw himself 362 00:19:40,339 –> 00:19:44,839 as a man who had right on his side 363 00:19:44,839 –> 00:19:47,000 the man with a mission 364 00:19:47,000 –> 00:19:50,000 and he’s convinced that God is going to reward him 365 00:19:50,000 –> 00:19:52,400 for what he is doing 366 00:19:52,400 –> 00:19:56,180 he sees himself as a man on his way to heaven 367 00:19:56,180 –> 00:19:57,560 and the reality of course, 368 00:19:57,560 –> 00:19:58,739 is that at this point, 369 00:19:58,739 –> 00:20:01,500 he is a man on his way to hell 370 00:20:02,859 –> 00:20:04,239 and it’s only in realizing 371 00:20:04,260 –> 00:20:07,280 that he has set himself against the glorious son of God 372 00:20:08,619 –> 00:20:11,180 that he comes to see his true position 373 00:20:11,180 –> 00:20:12,900 you come to see who Christ is 374 00:20:12,900 –> 00:20:14,520 you’ll come to see who you are 375 00:20:16,359 –> 00:20:19,060 why are you persecuting me? 376 00:20:21,040 –> 00:20:21,880 Now of course, 377 00:20:21,880 –> 00:20:24,060 Saul thought he was persecuting Christians 378 00:20:26,000 –> 00:20:27,520 Jesus says no, no, no, no, no 379 00:20:27,520 –> 00:20:30,640 you are persecuting me 380 00:20:31,000 –> 00:20:35,619 has it ever occurred to you 381 00:20:37,619 –> 00:20:41,420 that every offense you commit against another person 382 00:20:43,199 –> 00:20:46,680 is an offense committed directly against Jesus Christ? 383 00:20:49,579 –> 00:20:52,300 Let me read to you another extract 384 00:20:52,300 –> 00:20:54,939 from Woodbine Willie’s poem 385 00:20:56,579 –> 00:21:00,359 as he pictures himself in the presence of the Lord 386 00:21:00,920 –> 00:21:02,459 of the woke. 387 00:21:02,459 –> 00:21:06,140 “‘I seemed to stand alone 388 00:21:06,140 –> 00:21:09,119 “‘beside a kind of solemn sea. 389 00:21:10,479 –> 00:21:14,380 “‘Its waves, they got inside my mind 390 00:21:14,380 –> 00:21:16,520 “‘and touched my memory. 391 00:21:17,819 –> 00:21:20,859 “‘And day by day and year by year, 392 00:21:20,859 –> 00:21:24,119 “‘my life came back to me. 393 00:21:24,119 –> 00:21:27,400 “‘I saw just what I was 394 00:21:27,400 –> 00:21:30,140 “‘and what I had the chance to be.’ 395 00:21:31,160 –> 00:21:33,479 “‘And all the good I might have done 396 00:21:33,479 –> 00:21:35,920 “‘and hadn’t stopped to do, 397 00:21:36,900 –> 00:21:40,260 “‘I saw I’d made a hash of it, 398 00:21:40,260 –> 00:21:42,540 —and God knows that is true. 399 00:21:44,880 –> 00:21:48,459 “‘A throng of faces came and went 400 00:21:49,400 –> 00:21:51,560 “‘before me on that shore, 401 00:21:51,560 –> 00:21:54,680 “‘my wife, my mother, 402 00:21:54,680 –> 00:21:57,760 “‘kids, and pals, 403 00:21:57,760 –> 00:22:00,900 “‘and the face of a London whore.’” 404 00:22:02,979 –> 00:22:03,959 Do you see he has these memories 405 00:22:03,959 –> 00:22:06,680 of all the people whose lives he’s touched 406 00:22:06,680 –> 00:22:08,739 and in some cases ruined. 407 00:22:09,900 –> 00:22:11,719 The face has come before his mind 408 00:22:11,719 –> 00:22:14,839 and then he sees the face of Jesus Christ himself 409 00:22:14,839 –> 00:22:15,819 and he says this. 410 00:22:15,819 –> 00:22:18,959 “‘It seemed to me as though His face 411 00:22:19,900 –> 00:22:22,339 “‘were millions rolled in one. 412 00:22:23,699 –> 00:22:26,719 “‘It never changed, yet always changed, 413 00:22:26,900 –> 00:22:29,479 “‘like the sea beneath the sun. 414 00:22:30,739 –> 00:22:34,300 “‘Twere all men’s face, yet no man’s face 415 00:22:34,300 –> 00:22:36,140 “‘and a face no man can see 416 00:22:36,140 –> 00:22:40,180 “‘and it seemed to say in silent speech, 417 00:22:40,180 –> 00:22:42,180 “‘You did him all to me. 418 00:22:45,479 –> 00:22:48,400 “‘The dirty things you did to them, 419 00:22:49,479 –> 00:22:52,239 “‘the filth you thought was fine, 420 00:22:53,400 –> 00:22:56,199 “‘you did him all to me because their souls 421 00:22:56,319 –> 00:22:57,319 “‘were mine. 422 00:23:00,400 –> 00:23:03,640 “‘All eyes were in his eyes, all eyes, 423 00:23:04,560 –> 00:23:07,239 “‘my wife’s and a million more 424 00:23:08,839 –> 00:23:11,339 “‘and once I thought that those two eyes 425 00:23:11,339 –> 00:23:14,339 “‘were the eyes of the London whore. 426 00:23:16,680 –> 00:23:19,839 “‘And they were sad, oh God, how sad. 427 00:23:21,339 –> 00:23:24,560 “‘With tears that seemed to shine 428 00:23:24,660 –> 00:23:27,920 “‘and quivering bright with the speech of light, 429 00:23:27,920 –> 00:23:30,420 “‘they said her soul was mine. 430 00:23:32,719 –> 00:23:36,420 “‘And then at last he said one word. 431 00:23:36,420 –> 00:23:38,420 “‘The word he said was, 432 00:23:39,939 –> 00:23:40,780 “‘Well.’ 433 00:23:42,599 –> 00:23:44,900 “‘And I said in a trembling voice, 434 00:23:44,900 –> 00:23:47,140 “‘please, can I go to hell. 435 00:23:48,760 –> 00:23:52,339 “‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? 436 00:23:55,479 –> 00:23:59,040 “‘You fail others, you fail Christ. 437 00:23:59,040 –> 00:24:02,380 “‘You neglect others, you neglect Christ. 438 00:24:03,500 –> 00:24:05,520 “‘You warn others, you warn Christ. 439 00:24:05,520 –> 00:24:08,780 “‘You grieve others, you grieve Christ. 440 00:24:09,839 –> 00:24:13,260 “‘If you abuse others, you abuse Christ. 441 00:24:15,780 –> 00:24:18,040 “‘And if you lie to others, 442 00:24:19,000 –> 00:24:20,660 “‘you lie to Christ. 443 00:24:22,119 –> 00:24:24,199 “‘Saul, you thought you did it to these people, 444 00:24:24,500 –> 00:24:29,040 “‘but what you do not realize is you did it to me.’” 445 00:24:29,040 –> 00:24:31,459 And suddenly, in the presence of Christ, 446 00:24:31,459 –> 00:24:34,819 you see this man has an entirely different view of himself. 447 00:24:36,800 –> 00:24:40,300 There’s this man and he thinks he’s on the way to heaven 448 00:24:40,300 –> 00:24:42,400 and he discovers he’s on the road to hell. 449 00:24:44,880 –> 00:24:47,979 He’s sinned not only against the many people 450 00:24:47,979 –> 00:24:50,900 whose faces come back to him in the presence of God, 451 00:24:50,900 –> 00:24:53,400 he’s sinned against the Lord Himself. 452 00:24:55,079 –> 00:24:59,119 And far from being a righteous man 453 00:24:59,119 –> 00:25:02,359 who’s going to be richly rewarded by God, 454 00:25:02,359 –> 00:25:05,680 he finds himself in the dust, on the road to Damascus, 455 00:25:05,680 –> 00:25:07,479 knowing that there’s only one hope for him 456 00:25:07,479 –> 00:25:11,540 and that is to cast himself upon the mercy of God. 457 00:25:12,900 –> 00:25:15,219 And you see, friends, that gets to the heart 458 00:25:15,219 –> 00:25:18,000 of what happens when a person becomes a Christian. 459 00:25:19,760 –> 00:25:21,780 You come to terms with the reality 460 00:25:21,780 –> 00:25:23,319 of the risen Lord Jesus Christ, 461 00:25:23,380 –> 00:25:27,900 this glorious person who addresses you by name, 462 00:25:27,900 –> 00:25:29,619 who knows you completely. 463 00:25:31,060 –> 00:25:32,579 When you come to know Jesus Christ, 464 00:25:32,579 –> 00:25:35,920 you will have an entirely new understanding of yourself. 465 00:25:35,920 –> 00:25:37,939 The swagger will all be gone. 466 00:25:39,260 –> 00:25:41,500 There’ll be a new humility about you. 467 00:25:42,859 –> 00:25:45,619 And when you see that you are a man or a woman 468 00:25:45,619 –> 00:25:48,619 who depends utterly, entirely, completely 469 00:25:48,619 –> 00:25:50,439 on the mercy of God, guess what? 470 00:25:50,540 –> 00:25:53,319 And the anger, it’s gonna drain away very fast. 471 00:25:54,939 –> 00:25:57,260 Because you’ve got an entirely new view of yourself 472 00:25:57,260 –> 00:25:58,339 and, where did it come from? 473 00:25:58,339 –> 00:26:02,000 An entirely new grasp of Jesus Christ and who He is. 474 00:26:03,880 –> 00:26:06,020 And that leads me to the last thing today. 475 00:26:07,739 –> 00:26:11,060 Seeing Jesus Christ as He is 476 00:26:13,079 –> 00:26:16,199 will lead you to seeing yourself as you are 477 00:26:16,199 –> 00:26:18,359 and that will lead to something else 478 00:26:18,380 –> 00:26:21,420 which is to submit yourself wholly 479 00:26:22,800 –> 00:26:26,520 and without reservation to Him. 480 00:26:26,520 –> 00:26:28,719 This is what real conversion looks like. 481 00:26:28,719 –> 00:26:30,760 This is what happened to the Apostle Paul. 482 00:26:30,760 –> 00:26:33,459 This is why what happened to him is an example 483 00:26:33,459 –> 00:26:35,479 for what must happen in our lives 484 00:26:35,479 –> 00:26:37,000 if we are to be true Christians. 485 00:26:37,000 –> 00:26:38,640 A true knowledge of Jesus Christ. 486 00:26:38,640 –> 00:26:40,140 A true knowledge of yourself 487 00:26:40,140 –> 00:26:45,140 that leads you to submit yourself entirely to Jesus Christ. 488 00:26:45,359 –> 00:26:48,040 Jesus Christ, and let me say this. 489 00:26:49,859 –> 00:26:52,060 If you think at this moment 490 00:26:53,060 –> 00:26:55,500 that that sounds like a terrible burden, 491 00:26:55,500 –> 00:26:59,099 oh I have to submit myself entirely to Jesus Christ, 492 00:26:59,099 –> 00:27:02,300 let me promise you this, it is not a terrible burden. 493 00:27:02,300 –> 00:27:04,219 It is an enormous relief, 494 00:27:05,859 –> 00:27:10,160 and I say that because of what we’re told in Acts 26 495 00:27:10,160 –> 00:27:12,260 where we have an additional sentence 496 00:27:12,260 –> 00:27:15,020 that the Lord spoke to Saul at this moment 497 00:27:15,020 –> 00:27:17,900 that is not recorded in Acts and chapter nine. 498 00:27:17,900 –> 00:27:20,180 Acts 26 and verse 14, 499 00:27:20,180 –> 00:27:22,699 when the Lord said, Saul, Saul, 500 00:27:22,699 –> 00:27:24,800 why are you persecuting me? 501 00:27:24,800 –> 00:27:27,660 He then went on to say this, 502 00:27:27,660 –> 00:27:29,219 it is hard 503 00:27:30,380 –> 00:27:32,859 for you, hard for you 504 00:27:34,060 –> 00:27:34,979 to kick 505 00:27:35,920 –> 00:27:37,079 against the goads. 506 00:27:39,219 –> 00:27:44,060 Now the goads were very simply sharpened sticks 507 00:27:44,880 –> 00:27:49,880 that shepherds would use to prod stubborn animals. 508 00:27:51,219 –> 00:27:52,660 And the Lord says to Saul, 509 00:27:52,660 –> 00:27:54,140 now, here’s what you’re doing, 510 00:27:54,140 –> 00:27:55,859 you are kicking 511 00:27:56,900 –> 00:28:00,380 against the goads, 512 00:28:00,380 –> 00:28:01,640 and that’s hard. 513 00:28:04,300 –> 00:28:06,699 Take in that picture, will you, for a moment. 514 00:28:07,920 –> 00:28:12,859 Imagine a row of metal spikes 515 00:28:12,859 –> 00:28:14,380 like javelins. 516 00:28:15,400 –> 00:28:16,739 And they’re pointing towards you 517 00:28:16,739 –> 00:28:20,420 and they’re fixed about two feet, let’s say, 518 00:28:20,420 –> 00:28:21,739 above the ground. 519 00:28:23,300 –> 00:28:24,939 And you’re looking at these things 520 00:28:24,939 –> 00:28:27,859 and someone comes up beside you 521 00:28:29,119 –> 00:28:30,439 and he’s angry. 522 00:28:32,500 –> 00:28:35,420 And with all the force he can muster, 523 00:28:35,420 –> 00:28:37,939 he kicks one of the spikes. 524 00:28:38,739 –> 00:28:41,660 It goes right through his trainer and into his foot. 525 00:28:42,660 –> 00:28:43,599 It’s agony, 526 00:28:45,459 –> 00:28:47,900 but the pain makes his anger more. 527 00:28:49,819 –> 00:28:51,699 And so he lashes out again. 528 00:28:53,699 –> 00:28:58,099 The spike this time sinks even deeper into his foot 529 00:28:58,099 –> 00:28:59,979 and you wince as he steps back 530 00:28:59,979 –> 00:29:02,459 and he kicks again and again and again 531 00:29:02,459 –> 00:29:04,959 until his foot is reduced to pulp. 532 00:29:07,160 –> 00:29:09,619 Saul, it is hard 533 00:29:10,459 –> 00:29:15,459 for you to kick against the spikes. 534 00:29:19,859 –> 00:29:21,680 You don’t hurt the spikes, 535 00:29:23,579 –> 00:29:25,660 all that happens is you injure yourself 536 00:29:25,660 –> 00:29:28,280 and you keep doing it, you can’t stop it. 537 00:29:30,180 –> 00:29:34,459 And the more you do it, the worse it gets. 538 00:29:36,380 –> 00:29:38,479 What a picture is that a picture of you? 539 00:29:40,459 –> 00:29:43,839 Repeating time after time what you know 540 00:29:43,839 –> 00:29:46,900 has hurt you before and as if you’re driven 541 00:29:46,900 –> 00:29:48,520 by some inner compulsion. 542 00:29:48,520 –> 00:29:50,040 You go back to it again and again. 543 00:29:50,040 –> 00:29:52,339 It hurts you and you don’t know how to stop. 544 00:29:55,119 –> 00:29:56,880 Well, there’s only one way to stop. 545 00:29:58,280 –> 00:30:02,280 And it is to submit yourself entirely 546 00:30:03,640 –> 00:30:05,359 to the Lord Jesus Christ. 547 00:30:07,339 –> 00:30:09,359 To come to that place that salt of Tarsus 548 00:30:09,579 –> 00:30:12,280 that I came to right here on the Damascus Road. 549 00:30:13,280 –> 00:30:14,900 Whatever it costs me to follow him. 550 00:30:14,900 –> 00:30:16,880 I can resist him no longer. 551 00:30:16,880 –> 00:30:19,280 Lord, what do you want me to do? 552 00:30:19,280 –> 00:30:20,680 That’s his response. 553 00:30:23,339 –> 00:30:25,119 And I’m saying to you that if you will 554 00:30:25,119 –> 00:30:29,439 submit yourself entirely to the Lord Jesus Christ, 555 00:30:30,500 –> 00:30:35,400 no conditions you are the sovereign Lord of my life. 556 00:30:35,400 –> 00:30:38,119 It will be to you the most enormous relief 557 00:30:38,520 –> 00:30:41,020 because only he can deliver you from the compulsion 558 00:30:41,020 –> 00:30:44,400 that will keep you going on, kicking against the spikes 559 00:30:44,400 –> 00:30:47,180 to your own pain and to your own destruction. 560 00:30:49,640 –> 00:30:52,060 Lord, I have been kicking against the spikes. 561 00:30:53,920 –> 00:30:56,319 Lord, I have been acting as if I was 562 00:30:56,319 –> 00:30:57,920 the sovereign of my own life, 563 00:30:57,920 –> 00:31:00,699 deciding what I will believe and how I will live. 564 00:31:00,699 –> 00:31:03,079 I’ve been acting as i I was my own God 565 00:31:03,079 –> 00:31:06,260 and in the process I’ve only been destroying myself. 566 00:31:08,199 –> 00:31:11,000 And I see today 567 00:31:11,000 –> 00:31:12,920 that my only hope 568 00:31:14,160 –> 00:31:17,520 is to submit myself entirely 569 00:31:19,119 –> 00:31:19,939 to you. 570 00:31:21,719 –> 00:31:24,020 And here’s the good news, and with this I end. 571 00:31:26,839 –> 00:31:30,160 When Saul says, 572 00:31:30,160 –> 00:31:32,099 who are you, Lord, 573 00:31:33,880 –> 00:31:36,300 the answer is not, 574 00:31:36,300 –> 00:31:40,239 I am Jesus, whom you have been persecuting 575 00:31:40,239 –> 00:31:41,599 and you’re done for. 576 00:31:44,140 –> 00:31:46,000 That would have been justice. 577 00:31:47,479 –> 00:31:50,579 But Jesus steps into his life in order to bring mercy, 578 00:31:50,579 –> 00:31:52,540 isn’t that marvelous? 579 00:31:52,540 –> 00:31:53,619 And here’s the thing, 580 00:31:55,380 –> 00:31:57,099 metal spikes 581 00:31:58,780 –> 00:32:01,099 were hammered into the hands 582 00:32:01,099 –> 00:32:04,020 and the feet of Jesus Christ 583 00:32:04,939 –> 00:32:07,719 so that you could receive mercy. 584 00:32:08,880 –> 00:32:12,959 And kicking against the spikes would not be the end 585 00:32:12,959 –> 00:32:14,339 either for Saul 586 00:32:15,640 –> 00:32:16,479 or for you. 587 00:32:17,939 –> 00:32:18,979 Let’s pray together. 588 00:32:21,660 –> 00:32:24,619 Our Father, we bow before thee, Majesty. 589 00:32:25,819 –> 00:32:29,660 Glory of your Son Jesus Christ the Risen Lord. 590 00:32:30,239 –> 00:32:33,479 And in the light of his presence and of his words to us, 591 00:32:33,479 –> 00:32:34,859 we are humbled. 592 00:32:36,800 –> 00:32:38,939 We’re no longer standing raging. 593 00:32:41,339 –> 00:32:44,280 We see ourselves as those who can only cast ourselves 594 00:32:44,280 –> 00:32:45,439 upon your mercy. 595 00:32:49,319 –> 00:32:54,040 So thank you that mercy overflows to us in Jesus Christ 596 00:32:54,040 –> 00:32:55,979 who bore the spikes for us. 597 00:32:59,459 –> 00:33:01,400 Father, grant that every person 598 00:33:01,400 –> 00:33:04,979 in this sanctuary today may be genuinely converted. 599 00:33:08,780 –> 00:33:10,719 And that when we see the face of Christ, 600 00:33:10,719 –> 00:33:14,500 it may be a meeting face to face of the one we have loved 601 00:33:15,439 –> 00:33:18,640 and trusted heart to heart. 602 00:33:18,640 –> 00:33:21,859 For these things we ask in Jesus’ name, amen.