KNOWING GOD – THE GOD OF MIRACLES – Lesson Fifteen
MIRACLE OF THE NEW BIRTH – Cont’d. (See Lesson Eight):
Acts 9:1-22 – Before the New Birth: V.1-2 – V.1 – Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest
Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples – Acts 7:55-8:3 – 55But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56“Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”
57At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, 58dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul.
59While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep.
8:1And Saul was there, giving approval to his death.
On that day a great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. 2Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. 3But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in prison.
Acts 26:9-11 – 9“I too was convinced that I ought to do all that was possible to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth. 10And that is just what I did in Jerusalem. On the authority of the chief priests I put many of the saints in prison, and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. 11Many a time I went from one synagogue to another to have them punished, and I tried to force them to blaspheme. In my obsession against them, I even went to foreign cities to persecute them.
Galatians 1:13 – For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it.
1 Timothy 1:13 – Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief.
V.2 – and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.
The Way – Acts 22:4 – I persecuted the followers of this Way to their death, arresting both men and women and throwing them into prison,
Observe the difference after “the new birth.” Acts 19:8-9, 23 – 8Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God. 9But some of them became obstinate; they refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way. So Paul left them. He took the disciples with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus.
23About that time there arose a great disturbance about the Way.
(Note: 2 Corinthians 1:8 – We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life.)
Acts 24:14 – However, I admit that I worship the God of our fathers as a follower of the Way, which they call a sect. I believe everything that agrees with the Law and that is written in the Prophets,
The New Birth: V.3-22 – V.3 – As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him.
Suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him – Acts 26:13 – About noon, O king, as I was on the road, I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, blazing around me and my companions.
V.4 – He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” Note Acts 26:14 – We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, `Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’
V.5-6 – 5“Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. 6“Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
Note Acts 26:16-18 – 16`Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen of me and what I will show you. 17I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them 18to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’
V.7 – The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone.
Note Acts 22:9 – My companions saw the light, but they did not understand the voice of him who was speaking to me.
V.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.
Note Acts 22:11 – My companions led me by the hand into Damascus, because the brilliance of the light had blinded me.
V.9-10 – 9For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.
10In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!” “Yes, Lord,” he answered.
A disciple named Ananias – This shows that Ananias had experienced the “miracle of the new birth.” Compare Acts 22:12 – “A man named Ananias came to see me. He was a devout observer of the law and highly respected by all the Jews living there. Here, Paul was addressing a crowd which could not appreciate the “miracle of the new birth.”
V.11-18 – 11The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. 12In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.”
13“Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem. 14And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.”
15But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. 16I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”
17Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord–Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here–has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized,
Note Acts 22:14-16 – 14“Then he said: `The God of our fathers has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and to hear words from his mouth. 15You will be his witness to all men of what you have seen and heard. 16And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name.’
V.19-22 – 19and after taking some food, he regained his strength.
Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus. 20At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. 21All those who heard him were astonished and asked, “Isn’t he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name? And hasn’t he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?” 22Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Christ.
Application: Though not as spectacular as Paul’s, our experience of “the new birth” is just as miraculous. Let us therefore praise the GOD OF MIRACLES. 1 Peter 2:9 – But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.