Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Evening Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/ev/ev19971116.htm

ACTS: THE LOCAL CHURCH AS GOD'S AGENCY FOR DISCIPLING MEN
Part XVIII: God's Sovereign Discipleship Of The Most Legalistic Of People
(Acts 9:1-6a)
  1. Introduction
    1. When a man knows he is a vile sinner, it is relatively easy for him to be convicted of sin to come to Christ.
    2. However, reaching the pious legalist is quite another matter: he sees himself as being the truly upright one so that the more "relaxed" Christian who enjoys liberties in Christ is viewed by him as being the "sinner"! He thus is a tough party for one to get to see his need of salvation by God's grace!
    3. However, God sovereignly disciples even the most legalistic of people, and Acts 9:1-19 shows us how:
  2. God's Sovereign Discipleship Of The Most Legalistic Of People, Acts 9:1-6a.
    1. When Saul traveled to Damascus to persecute Christians, he was about as tough to disciple as possible:
      1. Acts 9:1a,b reports that Paul breathed out threatenings and slaughter against believers.
      2. What is astounding is that he, a Pharisee, caved in on his doctrinal scruples to ask the Sadduccean High Priest for letters to capture and to persecute believers in Damascus, Acts 9:1c-2:
        1. G. Campbell Morgan, Acts, p. 226 notes that for Paul who believed in the supernatural and the resurrection to conspire with the Liberal Theologian in the High Priest, a man who denied the inerrancy of much of prophetic Scriptur e, and denied the resurrection from the dead, he was actually sacrificing his theological principles even to go to him for this reason.
        2. Besides, the Hellenistic Jews of which the Sadduccees were in league had a running feud with the Hebraistic Jews of which Saul as a Pharisee of the Pharisees was a part, Ibid., p. 222-224.
    2. Nevertheless, the intensity of Saul's expression of opposition toward Christians exposed a subliminal GUILT due to the influence of Stephen's spiritual dynamics evidenced in his final stand and martyrdom.
      1. Morgan points out that Stephen's stand was against the synagogue of the Hellenistic Jews with which the Sadduccean party was affiliated, cf. Ibid., p. 225. Stephen had protested against the unspiritual tendencies of Hellenists, not against Pharisaism that sought to triumph the cause for spiritual realities.
      2. When Stephen's face therefore supernaturally shone as had the face of Moses (Acts 6:15 with Ex. 34:29, 35), and in gracious demeanor when he demonstrated true spiritual grace by interceding for his persecutors at death's door (Acts 7:59-60), the very spirituality Saul's sect of Pharisaism sought to promote was displayed as a searching CRITIQUE of Pharisaism's absence of it. We know this as Paul later reported that Christ noted how his conscience troubled him about his persecution activities, 26:14.
    3. Accordingly, using such EVIDENCE, Christ Himself intervened to augment Stephen's testimony, showing Saul of Tarsus that he had a bankrupt religiosity that needed an overhaul (Ibid., p. 228):
      1. In Christ's revelation to Saul, he discovered that the Jesus he thought was dead was now living as Jesus had demonstrated Himself in the graciousness of Stephen, Acts 9:5a,b with Morgan, Ibid.
      2. In this revelation, Saul discovered that the Jesus he thought was disgraced through the crucifixion and burial was now glorified in heaven's bright light as Stephen had declared Acts 9:5a with 9:3; 7:55-56.
      3. In this revelation, Saul discovered that the Jesus he had learned to hate was not godlessly promoting Hellenism, but God's truth as he addressed him in the "sanctified" Hebrew language, 9:4 with 26:14!
      4. In persecuting believers, this revelation showed that Saul was attacking the glorified Messiah Himself as Christ was intimately, spiritually connected with His followers like Stephen, Acts 9:4.
    4. Finally facing these facts, Saul of Tarsus, the legalistic Pharisee, submitted to faith in Christ, Acts 9:6.
Lesson: Christ USED the spiritual dynamism that HE HIMSELF displayed THROUGH His people like Stephen to SET UP Saul's conscience so that WHEN Jesus REVEALED Himself directly to Saul, he was prepared to repent of his powerful deception of false Phar isee religious legalism.

Application: (a) GOD disciples legalistic, religious folk by EXHIBITING His TRUE spiritual dynamics through godly believers to CONVICT the religious of their spiritual BANKRUPTCY, and then adds whatever DIRECT fireworks to the legalists are needed to "push them over the edge" to Christ. (b) Thus, it is necessary for godly believers to fellowship with Christ to be effective exhibits of true spiritual fervor in their LIVES so that God can use them as HIS tools in reaching legalists!