1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:05,800 We're on Acts Chapter 9. It's page 1103 in the church 2 00:00:05,800 --> 00:00:09,640 Bibles. Remember last week Saul had been 3 00:00:09,640 --> 00:00:13,680 travelling to Damascus to persecute the church, and he'd 4 00:00:13,680 --> 00:00:20,960 met the risen Jesus and had gone blind and he, Ananias, had come 5 00:00:20,960 --> 00:00:24,880 and healed him. And this is the next bit of time 6 00:00:25,080 --> 00:00:30,240 I'm just going to pick up from verse 18, just to sort of locate 7 00:00:30,240 --> 00:00:33,360 it for us, to remind us immediately. 8 00:00:33,360 --> 00:00:37,040 Something like scales fell from Saul's eyes, and he could see 9 00:00:37,040 --> 00:00:40,480 again. He got up and was baptized, and 10 00:00:40,480 --> 00:00:44,120 after taking some food, he regained his strength. 11 00:00:44,600 --> 00:00:47,600 What's he going to do, Kick back and take life easy? 12 00:00:47,880 --> 00:00:52,280 No, let's see what he does. Saul spent several days with the 13 00:00:52,280 --> 00:00:57,520 disciples in Damascus. At once he began to preach in 14 00:00:57,520 --> 00:01:00,480 the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. 15 00:01:00,480 --> 00:01:03,840 It's astonishing. Just a few days before he was 16 00:01:03,840 --> 00:01:08,160 persecuting the church. All those who heard him were 17 00:01:08,160 --> 00:01:12,240 astonished and asked, isn't this the man who calls havoc in 18 00:01:12,240 --> 00:01:15,600 Jerusalem among those who called on his name? 19 00:01:16,040 --> 00:01:19,000 And hasn't he come here to take them as prisoner to the chief 20 00:01:19,000 --> 00:01:24,440 priests Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the 21 00:01:24,440 --> 00:01:29,040 Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the 22 00:01:29,040 --> 00:01:33,800 Messiah. After many days had gone by, 23 00:01:34,000 --> 00:01:38,360 there was a conspiracy amongst the Jews to kill him, but Saul 24 00:01:38,360 --> 00:01:41,960 learned of their plan. Day and night they kept close 25 00:01:41,960 --> 00:01:46,160 watch on the city gates in order to kill him, but his followers 26 00:01:46,160 --> 00:01:49,480 took him by night and lowered him a basket through an opening 27 00:01:49,480 --> 00:01:53,240 in the wall. When he came to Jerusalem he 28 00:01:53,240 --> 00:01:56,360 tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not 29 00:01:56,360 --> 00:01:58,640 believing that he really was a disciple. 30 00:01:59,320 --> 00:02:03,240 But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. 31 00:02:03,800 --> 00:02:07,000 He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord, and 32 00:02:07,000 --> 00:02:10,840 that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he preached 33 00:02:10,840 --> 00:02:15,360 fearlessly in the name of Jesus. So Stool stayed with them and 34 00:02:15,360 --> 00:02:20,280 moved about freely in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of 35 00:02:20,280 --> 00:02:23,000 the Lord. He talked and debated with the 36 00:02:23,000 --> 00:02:25,960 Hellenistic Jews, but they tried to kill him. 37 00:02:26,960 --> 00:02:30,720 Man, he's having a bad time. 2/2 times nearly killed. 38 00:02:31,920 --> 00:02:34,840 When the when the believers learned of this, they took him 39 00:02:34,840 --> 00:02:38,280 down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus. 40 00:02:38,880 --> 00:02:42,640 Then the church throughout Judea and Galilee and Samaria enjoyed 41 00:02:42,640 --> 00:02:45,520 a time of peace and were strengthened. 42 00:02:45,880 --> 00:02:49,160 Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy 43 00:02:49,160 --> 00:02:53,360 Spirit, it increased in numbers. Amen. 44 00:02:53,600 --> 00:02:58,480 Thanks, Richard. Chris yeah, if we could keep our 45 00:02:58,480 --> 00:03:00,920 Bibles open at Acts 9, that will be great. 46 00:03:00,920 --> 00:03:03,720 I think we're having a few issues with the screen, but we 47 00:03:03,720 --> 00:03:08,120 will try and track on. So, yeah, we are back, as Chris 48 00:03:08,120 --> 00:03:13,280 says in the next bit of this book of Acts, this early history 49 00:03:13,960 --> 00:03:17,120 of the early church. And last week, if you were here, 50 00:03:17,120 --> 00:03:20,360 the writer of Acts, a man called Luke, introduced us to who's 51 00:03:20,360 --> 00:03:23,360 going to be the key figure, the central figure in the 52 00:03:23,360 --> 00:03:29,120 second-half of the book of Acts, this man, soul of Tarsus, And he 53 00:03:29,120 --> 00:03:32,520 introduces him as a Jewish religious leader and determined 54 00:03:32,520 --> 00:03:36,840 to destroy the early church, breathing out murderous threats 55 00:03:37,120 --> 00:03:40,720 against the disciples. He's a violent persecutor of 56 00:03:40,720 --> 00:03:44,360 Christians, and he's travelling to Damascus to track down and 57 00:03:44,360 --> 00:03:48,720 arrest any followers of Jesus that he finds in that city when 58 00:03:48,720 --> 00:03:52,320 suddenly on the road to Damascus, a light from heaven 59 00:03:52,320 --> 00:03:55,840 flashes around him. Saul falls to the ground and the 60 00:03:55,840 --> 00:04:01,520 risen Jesus appears to him. The risen Jesus breaks into 61 00:04:01,520 --> 00:04:07,600 Saul's life, transforms him, and Luke and I picks up the story of 62 00:04:07,600 --> 00:04:11,960 what happened next. So this little section, Acts 9 63 00:04:12,320 --> 00:04:17,720 verses 90 to 31, we begin to see Saul take his first steps as a 64 00:04:17,720 --> 00:04:20,279 follower of Jesus. This is basically the apostle 65 00:04:20,279 --> 00:04:23,680 Paul, the early years to get an insight into this. 66 00:04:23,680 --> 00:04:28,520 And I think one thing that Luke wants to convey to us here is 67 00:04:28,520 --> 00:04:31,040 one that actually has seen throughout the world and right 68 00:04:31,040 --> 00:04:34,400 up to the present day that becoming a Christian, putting 69 00:04:34,400 --> 00:04:39,040 your faith in Jesus is a huge moment in someone's life. 70 00:04:39,040 --> 00:04:43,280 It's a big deal when someone puts their faith in Jesus. 71 00:04:43,560 --> 00:04:48,000 A new life begins. Following Jesus brings with it 72 00:04:48,000 --> 00:04:50,160 real changes. Thank you, guys. 73 00:04:50,160 --> 00:04:51,360 Round of applause for our tech team there. 74 00:04:51,800 --> 00:04:54,880 They did very well. I could start again, but I 75 00:04:54,880 --> 00:04:57,120 won't. But yeah, basically what this 76 00:04:57,120 --> 00:05:02,280 bit of access is, becoming a Christian is a huge thing for 77 00:05:02,280 --> 00:05:05,440 for Saul, it was clearly this huge dramatic event that this 78 00:05:05,440 --> 00:05:07,200 light from heaven falling to the ground. 79 00:05:07,200 --> 00:05:11,560 But actually for anyone to put their faith in Jesus, a new life 80 00:05:11,560 --> 00:05:16,680 begins and change begins. And some of that change can be 81 00:05:16,680 --> 00:05:20,760 messy and even painful. When someone becomes a 82 00:05:20,760 --> 00:05:24,160 Christian, becomes a follower of Jesus, the people around them 83 00:05:24,160 --> 00:05:27,920 don't always respond well to the change they see. 84 00:05:28,880 --> 00:05:32,720 Changing old habits and patterns of life can be really messy. 85 00:05:33,360 --> 00:05:36,400 And a new believer might even lose friends, even contact with 86 00:05:36,400 --> 00:05:40,720 family, as a result of their faith in Jesus. 87 00:05:41,760 --> 00:05:44,960 One writer he came to faith as an adult, Rosario Butterfield, 88 00:05:45,480 --> 00:05:48,720 describes her experience like this in this book, The secret 89 00:05:48,720 --> 00:05:52,400 Thoughts of an unlikely convert. She says conversion put me in a 90 00:05:52,400 --> 00:05:55,160 complicated and comprehensive chaos. 91 00:05:55,680 --> 00:05:59,080 She was an English lecturer, so she likes alliteration by 92 00:05:59,080 --> 00:06:00,760 somebody's wonder. When I hear other Christians 93 00:06:00,760 --> 00:06:03,600 pray for the salvation of their friends, if they realize this 94 00:06:03,600 --> 00:06:07,920 comprehensive chaos is the desired end of such prayers. 95 00:06:09,040 --> 00:06:10,600 What she's saying, they're saying actually becoming a 96 00:06:10,600 --> 00:06:15,080 Christian is really bewildering and chaotic and messy. 97 00:06:15,920 --> 00:06:18,320 And sometimes when we we have someone we love, we want to see 98 00:06:18,320 --> 00:06:21,000 them come to follow Jesus. We don't realise some of the 99 00:06:21,000 --> 00:06:24,200 massive changes that will result in that. 100 00:06:25,440 --> 00:06:29,080 I think that's partly why this account of Saul's new life as a 101 00:06:29,080 --> 00:06:32,200 follower of Jesus is so helpful for us today. 102 00:06:32,360 --> 00:06:35,240 Look shows us that when Saul began to follow Jesus it was 103 00:06:35,240 --> 00:06:39,600 more than a bit bumpy at times. The people around Saul didn't 104 00:06:39,600 --> 00:06:41,480 always respond well to this change. 105 00:06:41,480 --> 00:06:45,880 He was regarded with suspicion by fellow Christians and his old 106 00:06:45,880 --> 00:06:47,680 friends. The Greek speaking Jews in 107 00:06:47,680 --> 00:06:50,600 Jerusalem ended up wanting to kill Saul. 108 00:06:51,400 --> 00:06:54,800 He suffers for the name of Jesus. 109 00:06:55,240 --> 00:06:59,680 It's not all easy. In fact this this little passage 110 00:06:59,680 --> 00:07:03,040 in Acts 9 is sort of the fulfilment of Jesus words to 111 00:07:03,040 --> 00:07:06,920 Ananias. When Ananias was sent to baptize 112 00:07:06,920 --> 00:07:08,280 Saul. Jesus says this. 113 00:07:08,280 --> 00:07:12,240 He says this man Saul is my chosen instrument to proclaim my 114 00:07:12,240 --> 00:07:15,520 name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of 115 00:07:15,520 --> 00:07:19,360 Israel. I will show him how much he must 116 00:07:19,360 --> 00:07:23,240 suffer for my name. So Saul proclaims Jesus name in 117 00:07:23,240 --> 00:07:27,480 this passage, but he also suffers for Jesus name. 118 00:07:28,240 --> 00:07:33,040 And through it all, Jesus is at work building his church and 119 00:07:33,040 --> 00:07:36,920 changing soul. So there's a lot in this passage 120 00:07:36,920 --> 00:07:40,160 that's unique to solve the apostle that doesn't apply to 121 00:07:40,160 --> 00:07:42,760 everyday Christians like us. But actually, I think in one 122 00:07:42,760 --> 00:07:46,680 sense we get the shape of the Christian life in this passage. 123 00:07:46,800 --> 00:07:51,200 Luke wants to see that we are witnesses for Jesus as we walk 124 00:07:51,560 --> 00:07:55,920 the way of the cross. We are witnesses for Jesus as we 125 00:07:55,920 --> 00:07:57,760 follow Jesus on the way of the cross. 126 00:07:57,760 --> 00:08:02,200 So, so Saul's message was Jesus the Son of God, the Messiah, 127 00:08:02,200 --> 00:08:04,280 God's king, come to put things right. 128 00:08:04,480 --> 00:08:09,560 But Saul's life also imitated Jesus, and he followed Jesus on 129 00:08:09,560 --> 00:08:12,680 the way of the cross. The life of a disciple will 130 00:08:12,680 --> 00:08:17,160 always involve suffering and sacrifice at times. 131 00:08:18,080 --> 00:08:21,320 And actually Saul put it this way to churches a bit later in 132 00:08:21,320 --> 00:08:24,360 Acts when he was going by his Greek name Paul, he said we must 133 00:08:24,360 --> 00:08:28,800 go through many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God. 134 00:08:28,920 --> 00:08:32,919 But through every hardship and suffering and sacrifice Saul 135 00:08:32,919 --> 00:08:36,360 discovers, Paul discovered every Christian will discover that God 136 00:08:36,360 --> 00:08:39,960 is with us by his Spirit, like our memory verse for the term, 137 00:08:40,159 --> 00:08:44,840 He is making us more like Jesus and Jesus is building his church 138 00:08:45,200 --> 00:08:50,320 through the witness and indeed the suffering of his people. 139 00:08:51,520 --> 00:08:55,480 So this past, I think, has lots of practical wisdom for us on 140 00:08:55,480 --> 00:08:59,520 how to keep going as followers of Jesus, but also unique 141 00:08:59,520 --> 00:09:02,960 information about Saul and his early life. 142 00:09:03,080 --> 00:09:06,640 So looking at Acts 9, verses 19 to 31, you can sort of call this 143 00:09:06,640 --> 00:09:08,360 sections of A Tale of Two Cities. 144 00:09:08,920 --> 00:09:13,080 We've got Saul in Damascus in verses 19 to 25, and we've got 145 00:09:13,080 --> 00:09:15,680 Saul in Jerusalem in verses 26 to 30. 146 00:09:15,840 --> 00:09:18,720 And we're going to see so behind, hidden behind verse 23. 147 00:09:18,880 --> 00:09:22,440 Saul also spent some time in a place called Arabia in his early 148 00:09:22,440 --> 00:09:23,720 years, but we'll, we'll get to that. 149 00:09:24,080 --> 00:09:26,200 So first of all, then Saul in Damascus. 150 00:09:26,200 --> 00:09:31,360 What does Saul do when he begins to follow Jesus? 151 00:09:31,360 --> 00:09:34,760 How did his new life as a follower of Jesus begin? 152 00:09:35,800 --> 00:09:38,840 Well, Luke tells us his new life as a follower of Jesus began 153 00:09:39,240 --> 00:09:42,920 with him living in community with other believers. 154 00:09:43,480 --> 00:09:45,600 Saul spent time with other believers. 155 00:09:45,600 --> 00:09:47,880 That's verse 19. Let me read that for us again 156 00:09:47,880 --> 00:09:51,000 midway through the verse. And Saul spent several days with 157 00:09:51,000 --> 00:09:54,800 the disciples in Damascus. That Freddy Freddy 158 00:09:54,880 --> 00:09:58,080 straightforward. So after his personal encounter 159 00:09:58,080 --> 00:10:01,440 with Jesus, he's welcomed into the early church by the disciple 160 00:10:01,440 --> 00:10:03,920 Ananias. He's baptized into the faith, 161 00:10:03,920 --> 00:10:08,240 and then he spends time with his new find brothers and sisters in 162 00:10:08,240 --> 00:10:10,280 Christ. But I want to say that even 163 00:10:10,280 --> 00:10:11,480 that's a really simple statement. 164 00:10:11,480 --> 00:10:14,640 He spent time, spent several days, sorry, with the disciples 165 00:10:14,640 --> 00:10:16,520 in Damascus. This would have been a really 166 00:10:16,520 --> 00:10:22,000 odd experience for Soul and for the disciples in Damascus. 167 00:10:22,000 --> 00:10:25,920 So we need to remember Saul had travelled to Damascus to destroy 168 00:10:26,040 --> 00:10:28,280 the early church. He'd come to find the people 169 00:10:28,280 --> 00:10:31,880 he's now sitting in a room with and arrest every single one of 170 00:10:31,880 --> 00:10:33,360 them and drag them off to prison. 171 00:10:34,320 --> 00:10:36,280 And we know from Ananias that actually the disciples in 172 00:10:36,280 --> 00:10:40,320 Damascus know all about what Saul was planning to do. 173 00:10:40,320 --> 00:10:43,160 They knew the harm he done to the church in Jerusalem. 174 00:10:43,160 --> 00:10:44,840 They knew about his violent past. 175 00:10:45,040 --> 00:10:47,720 They maybe even had friends or family members who'd been put in 176 00:10:47,720 --> 00:10:51,480 prison by Saul. They would have been frightened 177 00:10:51,480 --> 00:10:55,480 of him, nervous of him, unsure what to make of him, and yet 178 00:10:55,760 --> 00:10:59,320 probably led by Ananias. The disciples in Damascus spent 179 00:10:59,320 --> 00:11:04,640 several days with Saul, and Saul spent several days with the 180 00:11:04,640 --> 00:11:06,760 disciples. I want to say this, behind verse 181 00:11:06,760 --> 00:11:09,520 19, there's maybe a bit of strangeness and awkwardness. 182 00:11:09,680 --> 00:11:11,000 This would have been uncomfortable. 183 00:11:11,000 --> 00:11:14,280 This would have been hard actually for both Saul and the 184 00:11:14,280 --> 00:11:19,240 disciples, But Saul recognized he needed to spend time with 185 00:11:19,280 --> 00:11:22,880 other disciples of Jesus, and those other disciples of Jesus 186 00:11:22,880 --> 00:11:28,240 accepted Saul and welcomed him into the community of the church 187 00:11:28,240 --> 00:11:32,280 in Damascus. Now, I think there's a huge 188 00:11:32,280 --> 00:11:34,920 amount to tell every follower of Jesus here that isn't just 189 00:11:34,920 --> 00:11:39,240 unique to Saul. For anyone in this room 190 00:11:39,240 --> 00:11:45,320 following Jesus, we need other followers of Jesus around us. 191 00:11:46,400 --> 00:11:50,480 Even for the apostle Paul, the Christian life is not a solo 192 00:11:50,480 --> 00:11:53,280 sport, not something you do on your own. 193 00:11:53,280 --> 00:11:56,960 We need to belong to a local church and to share life 194 00:11:56,960 --> 00:12:00,720 together with other believers, even when that feels strange or 195 00:12:00,720 --> 00:12:04,720 awkward or uncomfortable, as it would have done to Saul and the 196 00:12:04,720 --> 00:12:09,120 believers in Damascus. And why do we need to spend time 197 00:12:09,120 --> 00:12:10,840 with the believers? What we've already kind of 198 00:12:10,840 --> 00:12:15,280 hinted at it. It is hard to follow Jesus in a 199 00:12:15,280 --> 00:12:19,680 world that doesn't. It is hard to follow Jesus when 200 00:12:19,680 --> 00:12:22,440 you're trying about people who maybe think he is a myth or even 201 00:12:22,440 --> 00:12:25,680 something harmful or just something that doesn't have any 202 00:12:25,680 --> 00:12:29,440 interest for their lives. Remember, we are witnesses for 203 00:12:29,520 --> 00:12:33,840 Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit as we walk the way of the 204 00:12:33,840 --> 00:12:36,880 cross. Following Jesus in this world 205 00:12:36,880 --> 00:12:41,240 involves suffering and sacrifice and self denial even involves 206 00:12:41,240 --> 00:12:44,720 rejection at times. So we need other followers of 207 00:12:44,720 --> 00:12:49,040 Jesus around us, praying for us, speaking the truth in love to 208 00:12:49,040 --> 00:12:53,280 us, just walking alongside us, reminding us that we're not the 209 00:12:53,320 --> 00:12:58,240 only ones who are struggling, showing us more of Jesus in the 210 00:12:58,240 --> 00:13:02,360 way they welcome and accept us. And we need those believers 211 00:13:02,360 --> 00:13:05,320 around us in the early days of following Jesus, like Saul was 212 00:13:05,320 --> 00:13:07,200 in here. But actually we need it 213 00:13:07,200 --> 00:13:10,560 throughout our life of following Jesus. 214 00:13:10,560 --> 00:13:13,040 Because the older you get as a Christian, it's going to be 215 00:13:13,040 --> 00:13:15,040 different pressures, but they are still there. 216 00:13:15,800 --> 00:13:19,760 Sometimes the pressure of our love growing cold, sometimes the 217 00:13:19,960 --> 00:13:23,080 the the feeling of just being weary or uninspired by the 218 00:13:23,080 --> 00:13:27,000 gospel anymore. And Saul discovered an amazing 219 00:13:27,000 --> 00:13:30,240 truth in the road to Damascus. When Jesus said, Saul, when 220 00:13:30,240 --> 00:13:32,400 you're persecuting the church, you're persecuting me. 221 00:13:33,560 --> 00:13:36,200 The church is the body of Christ. 222 00:13:36,480 --> 00:13:40,320 We are united to Christ and we are united to each other. 223 00:13:40,960 --> 00:13:44,280 And therefore we need each other if we are going to live and 224 00:13:44,280 --> 00:13:48,600 follow Jesus and live as his witnesses in this world. 225 00:13:48,600 --> 00:13:51,640 So Saul spent time with other believers. 226 00:13:51,640 --> 00:13:55,680 We need to do the same. But actually there's another 227 00:13:56,000 --> 00:13:59,760 truth in Saul's early years of following Jesus that's actually 228 00:13:59,760 --> 00:14:01,760 largely hidden in this bit of act. 229 00:14:01,760 --> 00:14:06,240 But Saul later Paul, in his own words, talks about his early 230 00:14:06,240 --> 00:14:09,160 years as a Christian. And as well as spending time 231 00:14:09,160 --> 00:14:14,080 with other believers, Saul spent time alone with Jesus. 232 00:14:14,560 --> 00:14:18,960 That's verse 23. Now if you look at the beginning 233 00:14:18,960 --> 00:14:20,600 of verse 23 again, here's how Luke puts it. 234 00:14:20,600 --> 00:14:23,360 He says after many days had gone by. 235 00:14:24,600 --> 00:14:26,880 Now I want to say that's a deliberately vague time 236 00:14:26,880 --> 00:14:29,640 reference by Luke. If you just read Acts Chapter 9 237 00:14:29,640 --> 00:14:32,880 in the Bible, you presume Saul spent a few days in Damascus and 238 00:14:32,880 --> 00:14:36,440 then he travelled to Jerusalem, all in a fairly short period of 239 00:14:36,440 --> 00:14:37,840 time. But actually one of his earliest 240 00:14:37,840 --> 00:14:40,240 letters that we have in the New Testament, the letter to the 241 00:14:40,240 --> 00:14:44,320 Galatians, Saul himself now using his Greek name Paul, is 242 00:14:44,320 --> 00:14:46,280 remembering this period on his life. 243 00:14:46,280 --> 00:14:50,360 This is Galatians chapter 1, verses 13 to 18, and he writes, 244 00:14:50,480 --> 00:14:52,920 if you've heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, I 245 00:14:52,920 --> 00:14:55,800 intensely I persecuted the Church of God and tried to 246 00:14:55,800 --> 00:14:58,640 destroy it. But when God who sent me a part 247 00:14:58,640 --> 00:15:01,600 of my mother's womb and called me by his grace was pleased to 248 00:15:01,600 --> 00:15:05,080 reveal his Son in me so I might preach among the Gentiles, My 249 00:15:05,080 --> 00:15:07,400 immediate response was not to consult any human being. 250 00:15:07,520 --> 00:15:09,760 I didn't go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles 251 00:15:09,760 --> 00:15:12,640 before I was, but I went into Arabia. 252 00:15:13,040 --> 00:15:17,520 Later I returned to Damascus. Then after three years, I went 253 00:15:17,520 --> 00:15:20,880 up to Jerusalem to get acquainted with the apostles. 254 00:15:22,040 --> 00:15:26,320 OK, so making sense of this, actually, the many days of verse 255 00:15:26,320 --> 00:15:30,440 23 that Luke refers to was actually three years. 256 00:15:31,040 --> 00:15:34,920 That's a lot of days. I'm not a mathematician. 365 257 00:15:34,920 --> 00:15:38,640 times 3 work it out. And for a large part of that 258 00:15:38,640 --> 00:15:41,600 time, Saul tells us in Galatians, he was in a place 259 00:15:41,600 --> 00:15:45,680 called Arabia, and that's the immediate South and east of 260 00:15:45,680 --> 00:15:48,360 Israel. So the area that's mostly today 261 00:15:48,360 --> 00:15:50,560 sort of Saudi Arabia would would fall. 262 00:15:50,560 --> 00:15:51,960 It's just a map on the screen. Apologies. 263 00:15:51,960 --> 00:15:54,920 The best map I could find was I think in French, so bear with 264 00:15:54,920 --> 00:15:56,880 me. But at the top, I think that's 265 00:15:56,880 --> 00:15:59,880 Damascus, sort of towards the stops of the Syria direction. 266 00:16:00,360 --> 00:16:04,400 So he starts off in Damascus, but actually he goes into Arabia 267 00:16:04,560 --> 00:16:08,880 for roughly 3 years. And what does Saul do in that 268 00:16:08,880 --> 00:16:12,000 time? Well, the short answer is we 269 00:16:12,000 --> 00:16:14,880 don't know because Saul doesn't tell us. 270 00:16:14,880 --> 00:16:17,120 The only reference that time is Galatians chapter 1. 271 00:16:17,120 --> 00:16:19,720 Luke doesn't mention it directly here, but according to early 272 00:16:19,720 --> 00:16:22,760 church tradition, it seems likely that Saul used this 273 00:16:22,760 --> 00:16:28,680 three-year period in Arabia to prepare himself for a life of 274 00:16:28,680 --> 00:16:33,880 bearing witness to Jesus. It seems likely that during 275 00:16:33,880 --> 00:16:37,440 those three years in Arabia, Saul spent time alone with 276 00:16:37,560 --> 00:16:41,680 Jesus, learning from Jesus, praying and studying the Word of 277 00:16:41,680 --> 00:16:46,040 God, growing in his knowledge and love of Jesus. 278 00:16:47,400 --> 00:16:49,840 Now it's fairly clear from Saul's character and from the 279 00:16:49,840 --> 00:16:52,520 rest of Acts 9, Saul didn't spend the whole of that three 280 00:16:52,520 --> 00:16:55,640 years in in solitude. That seems very unlikely for 281 00:16:55,640 --> 00:16:57,000 Saul. He would have met with other 282 00:16:57,000 --> 00:17:00,080 followers of Jesus in that area, and he would have proclaimed 283 00:17:00,080 --> 00:17:03,400 Jesus name to the people around him, just as he does in Damascus 284 00:17:03,640 --> 00:17:06,880 and Jerusalem. But it seems clear the Saul 285 00:17:06,880 --> 00:17:11,480 still needed to spend time alone with Jesus, praying to him, 286 00:17:11,560 --> 00:17:14,880 hearing from him in his Word, worshipping him in order that 287 00:17:14,880 --> 00:17:18,160 Saul could then live as a witness for Jesus. 288 00:17:19,079 --> 00:17:22,640 What Saul shows us here is that that anyone's witness to Jesus 289 00:17:22,960 --> 00:17:26,240 flows out of their worship of Jesus. 290 00:17:27,160 --> 00:17:31,520 We can't bear witness to Jesus if we don't know him and we 291 00:17:31,520 --> 00:17:35,840 don't know him if we are not spending time with him alone and 292 00:17:35,840 --> 00:17:40,400 with his people. And again, in this three-year 293 00:17:40,400 --> 00:17:44,480 period, it seems pretty clear that Jesus was revealing hugely 294 00:17:44,480 --> 00:17:48,480 important truths to Saul. Saul talks later in his letters 295 00:17:48,480 --> 00:17:51,960 about a mystery that Jesus revealed to him. 296 00:17:53,120 --> 00:17:57,160 This mystery is that through the gospel, the Gentiles are heirs 297 00:17:57,160 --> 00:18:01,600 together with Israel, members together of 1 body, and sharers 298 00:18:01,600 --> 00:18:04,440 together in the promise in Christ Jesus. 299 00:18:04,440 --> 00:18:09,080 That's Ephesians chapter 3. Remember Saul was this devout 300 00:18:09,080 --> 00:18:11,720 Jewish believer. He thought Gentiles should have 301 00:18:11,720 --> 00:18:16,520 nothing to do with Jewish people, and yet Jesus tells him 302 00:18:16,520 --> 00:18:19,400 something different. Jesus says actually nigh Jewish 303 00:18:19,400 --> 00:18:23,440 and Gentile people can be reconciled to God and reconciled 304 00:18:23,440 --> 00:18:26,920 to each other simply through faith in the finished work of 305 00:18:26,920 --> 00:18:30,920 Jesus. That was a huge life changing 306 00:18:30,920 --> 00:18:36,400 truth and it took Saul several years to get his head round it. 307 00:18:37,520 --> 00:18:42,440 Soul needed time to spend with Jesus, to listen to Jesus, to 308 00:18:42,440 --> 00:18:46,840 speak to Jesus. And again, I think that applies 309 00:18:46,840 --> 00:18:50,840 to every follower of Jesus, not just Soul the apostle. 310 00:18:52,280 --> 00:18:54,680 We need to remember that at its heart, the Christian life is not 311 00:18:54,680 --> 00:19:01,080 about what we do for Jesus, it's about what Jesus has done for 312 00:19:01,080 --> 00:19:03,200 us. If you're like, the Christian 313 00:19:03,200 --> 00:19:05,840 life isn't about what we achieve for Jesus. 314 00:19:05,920 --> 00:19:11,200 It's about what we receive from Jesus, his life, death and 315 00:19:11,200 --> 00:19:16,120 resurrection in our place. And that's a really important 316 00:19:16,120 --> 00:19:18,000 truth because it's really easy to make the Christian life all 317 00:19:18,000 --> 00:19:20,000 about us. When you're part of a church 318 00:19:20,000 --> 00:19:21,800 like Ave. there's loads of things happening. 319 00:19:21,800 --> 00:19:23,440 You think of our notices, our family news. 320 00:19:23,680 --> 00:19:24,800 There's lots of things we need to do. 321 00:19:24,800 --> 00:19:27,400 People need to sign up for rotors and very quickly the 322 00:19:27,400 --> 00:19:32,520 Christian life becomes about all that we need to do, but we need 323 00:19:32,520 --> 00:19:37,200 then to slow down and to say, Jesus, remind me of who you are 324 00:19:37,200 --> 00:19:42,560 and what you have done for me. Help me to receive your grace to 325 00:19:42,640 --> 00:19:46,080 ask for your spirits help to live for you not to try and do 326 00:19:46,080 --> 00:19:50,240 it in my in my own strength as an activist like in the apostle 327 00:19:50,240 --> 00:19:52,800 Paul did a lot in his life. It wasn't he sat around doing 328 00:19:52,800 --> 00:19:55,880 nothing but right the way through his life. 329 00:19:56,200 --> 00:20:01,280 He never lost sight of his need to remember who Jesus is. 330 00:20:01,640 --> 00:20:05,560 In the gospel, to worship Jesus first and foremost for who he 331 00:20:05,560 --> 00:20:11,360 is, and then to bear witness to Jesus in the world around us. 332 00:20:12,760 --> 00:20:14,960 So again, I'm going to claim it's still the beginning of a 333 00:20:14,960 --> 00:20:17,040 new year. It's a few weeks into January, 334 00:20:17,560 --> 00:20:20,360 but actually that is a great ambition to have. 335 00:20:20,360 --> 00:20:25,200 Do I want to spend time with Jesus this year, with his 336 00:20:25,200 --> 00:20:26,680 people? I'm with him alone. 337 00:20:26,680 --> 00:20:29,120 Don't want to spend time actually learning how to pray, 338 00:20:29,120 --> 00:20:34,520 just to depend on Jesus, to hear Jesus speak through his word, to 339 00:20:34,680 --> 00:20:39,280 receive from Jesus, to remember it's not about what I do for 340 00:20:39,360 --> 00:20:42,120 Jesus, it's about what Jesus has done for me. 341 00:20:43,000 --> 00:20:45,080 In a little while, we're going to be taking bread and wine in 342 00:20:45,080 --> 00:20:48,040 the Lord's Supper. And it's just a really tangible 343 00:20:48,040 --> 00:20:50,720 outworking. Actually, we just receive from 344 00:20:50,760 --> 00:20:54,160 Jesus. We don't, we don't go and go and 345 00:20:54,160 --> 00:20:56,320 have to buy the bread ourselves. Chris has done that. 346 00:20:57,040 --> 00:21:00,120 But we just received the bread. We receive the wine. 347 00:21:00,120 --> 00:21:02,120 We remember. Actually, all I need to do is 348 00:21:02,120 --> 00:21:07,320 open my hands in faith and receive what Jesus has done for 349 00:21:07,320 --> 00:21:10,600 me through his life and death and resurrection. 350 00:21:13,520 --> 00:21:17,440 So Saul spent time with other believers and he spent time with 351 00:21:17,840 --> 00:21:20,760 Jesus. But also we actually get to see 352 00:21:20,760 --> 00:21:25,000 the unique calling of the risen Jesus on Saul's life. 353 00:21:25,000 --> 00:21:27,160 Remember the words of Jesus back in verse 15. 354 00:21:27,160 --> 00:21:30,920 This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the 355 00:21:30,920 --> 00:21:34,080 Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. 356 00:21:34,080 --> 00:21:36,400 And we see Jesus words fulfilled in verse 20. 357 00:21:36,400 --> 00:21:37,960 If you're going to look down at that. 358 00:21:38,080 --> 00:21:41,400 So verse 20, at once Saul began to preach in the synagogues that 359 00:21:41,440 --> 00:21:45,320 Jesus is the Son of God. Verse 22, Saul grew more and 360 00:21:45,320 --> 00:21:48,560 more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by 361 00:21:48,560 --> 00:21:51,640 proving that Jesus is the Messiah. 362 00:21:51,640 --> 00:21:56,040 We see that actually Saul in his early days as a believer, he 363 00:21:56,040 --> 00:21:59,320 proclaimed Jesus to the people around him. 364 00:21:59,880 --> 00:22:02,520 And he did that in both the cities he was in, in Damascus 365 00:22:02,920 --> 00:22:04,880 and in Jerusalem. So in the synagogues in 366 00:22:04,880 --> 00:22:09,320 Damascus, Saw proclaimed Jesus, and to the Greek speaking Jews 367 00:22:09,320 --> 00:22:12,760 in Jerusalem, Saul's old friends, he proclaimed Jesus. 368 00:22:12,920 --> 00:22:16,640 Basically Saw proclaimed Jesus to anyone who would listen, and 369 00:22:16,640 --> 00:22:19,800 indeed to some people who didn't want to listen. 370 00:22:21,120 --> 00:22:25,840 This is a unique part of Saul's calling as the apostle to the 371 00:22:25,840 --> 00:22:28,360 Gentiles and to the people of Israel. 372 00:22:28,560 --> 00:22:33,680 But we also remember here Saul's message to the people around him 373 00:22:33,680 --> 00:22:39,840 was Jesus. It wasn't a moral code or a 374 00:22:39,840 --> 00:22:42,280 philosophy or a way to improve your life. 375 00:22:42,480 --> 00:22:48,560 It was a person, the man Christ Jesus, crucified and risen. 376 00:22:49,720 --> 00:22:52,680 Because Saul knows any amount of advice or wisdom that he could 377 00:22:52,680 --> 00:22:55,760 give is not enough to save anyone. 378 00:22:56,840 --> 00:23:01,320 Only the crucified and risen Jesus had the power to wash Saul 379 00:23:01,320 --> 00:23:04,200 clean and welcome him into God's people. 380 00:23:04,320 --> 00:23:08,080 And Saul knows that same Jesus is the power to wash anyone 381 00:23:08,080 --> 00:23:11,240 else, clean and welcome into God's people if they put their 382 00:23:11,240 --> 00:23:15,600 faith in him. And who is Jesus according to 383 00:23:15,600 --> 00:23:18,480 Saul? Well, he's the Son of God, verse 384 00:23:18,480 --> 00:23:20,600 20. He's the eternal Son of God. 385 00:23:20,680 --> 00:23:24,560 He's got unique access to the Father and he then can give us 386 00:23:24,800 --> 00:23:28,520 access to the Father because Jesus reveals who the Father is 387 00:23:28,520 --> 00:23:30,800 to us. He can then welcome us into 388 00:23:30,800 --> 00:23:35,360 God's family and we get to call God our loving Father because we 389 00:23:35,360 --> 00:23:39,160 share in Jesus eternal relationship with God his 390 00:23:39,160 --> 00:23:41,800 Father. Even the youngest child can 391 00:23:41,800 --> 00:23:44,200 pray. Father help me to to God because 392 00:23:44,240 --> 00:23:47,960 Jesus shares his relationship with everyone who puts their 393 00:23:47,960 --> 00:23:52,000 faith in him and not just the Son of God. 394 00:23:52,000 --> 00:23:54,600 Jesus is the Messiah. You could translate that God's 395 00:23:54,600 --> 00:23:59,240 rescuing king. He's come to put things right. 396 00:23:59,240 --> 00:24:03,160 Soul can proclaim to people, yes the world is not as it should 397 00:24:03,160 --> 00:24:05,000 be. Yes there is brokenness all 398 00:24:05,000 --> 00:24:07,320 around us. Yes, we are under enemy 399 00:24:07,320 --> 00:24:09,840 occupation. For the Jewish people, that 400 00:24:09,840 --> 00:24:12,640 meant the Roman Empire. But actually Saul knew for every 401 00:24:12,640 --> 00:24:15,280 human being, we're under enemy occupation in this world. 402 00:24:15,480 --> 00:24:20,000 This world is marked by sin and death and the devil, but God has 403 00:24:20,000 --> 00:24:25,680 sent his king to set us free, and his name is Jesus. 404 00:24:26,360 --> 00:24:28,480 Jesus is the son of God, says Saul. 405 00:24:28,760 --> 00:24:33,280 Jesus is God's rescuing king, and Jesus alone can save us. 406 00:24:33,280 --> 00:24:38,800 So Jesus is our message. And how do the people in 407 00:24:38,800 --> 00:24:43,200 Damascus respond to Saul? We'll look at verses 21 and 22. 408 00:24:44,120 --> 00:24:48,560 Some were astonished, some were baffled, and some conspired to 409 00:24:48,560 --> 00:24:51,920 kill him, we're told. Fast forward to the people in 410 00:24:51,920 --> 00:24:54,400 Jerusalem. How did they respond to Saul's 411 00:24:54,400 --> 00:24:55,440 message? Verse 29? 412 00:24:55,440 --> 00:24:58,520 Some of the Greek speaking Jews tried to kill him. 413 00:25:00,200 --> 00:25:03,720 It's fair to say that not everyone responded positively to 414 00:25:03,720 --> 00:25:06,320 what Saul had to say about Jesus. 415 00:25:06,320 --> 00:25:08,360 Actually, right from the beginning of his life Saul 416 00:25:08,720 --> 00:25:14,080 suffered for Jesus name and in that actually he was modelling 417 00:25:14,080 --> 00:25:16,840 and experiencing a truth about the Christian life that is true 418 00:25:17,000 --> 00:25:21,880 for every follower of Jesus. That we follow Jesus on the way 419 00:25:21,880 --> 00:25:24,760 of the cross. The words Jesus says to 420 00:25:24,760 --> 00:25:28,280 disciples, if anyone's to follow me, they must deny themselves, 421 00:25:28,600 --> 00:25:34,240 take up their cross and follow me, a Saul says in Acts later he 422 00:25:34,240 --> 00:25:38,400 says it is we must go through many hardships to enter the 423 00:25:38,400 --> 00:25:43,280 Kingdom of God. But you see, Saul also knows 424 00:25:43,280 --> 00:25:46,600 that through those sufferings and hardships, God is with us By 425 00:25:46,600 --> 00:25:50,120 his Spirit. We follow a Lord Jesus who's 426 00:25:50,120 --> 00:25:55,440 familiar with suffering, a Jesus who knows what it is to suffer 427 00:25:55,440 --> 00:26:01,640 rejection and loneliness and harm, a Jesus who strengthens us 428 00:26:01,640 --> 00:26:06,200 in our suffering, a Jesus who's with us in the midst of it. 429 00:26:08,680 --> 00:26:10,880 Again, when someone becomes a Christian, it can be easy to 430 00:26:10,880 --> 00:26:12,960 think, right, All my problems are overnight. 431 00:26:14,160 --> 00:26:17,040 I'm forgiven by Jesus. I'm, I'm accepted as a God's 432 00:26:17,040 --> 00:26:19,160 family. And it's a glorious moment. 433 00:26:19,360 --> 00:26:23,320 Saul experienced it. But Saul also experienced that 434 00:26:23,320 --> 00:26:27,440 actually now to the very end of the age, as Joel pointed out to 435 00:26:27,440 --> 00:26:31,680 us, we live in a fallen world and we will suffer in that world 436 00:26:31,680 --> 00:26:35,160 and we will struggle. That's why we need each other. 437 00:26:35,480 --> 00:26:38,320 That's why we need to keep listening to Jesus. 438 00:26:39,960 --> 00:26:45,000 But that's why knowing that Jesus is with us always is so 439 00:26:45,000 --> 00:26:46,520 precious. It transforms all. 440 00:26:46,680 --> 00:26:53,480 It can transform us. Saul proclaimed Jesus to the 441 00:26:53,480 --> 00:26:56,160 people around him because he knew Jesus is the only one who 442 00:26:56,160 --> 00:27:00,560 can save anyone. And Saul suffered for Jesus name 443 00:27:01,600 --> 00:27:04,080 knowing that Jesus was with him as he suffered. 444 00:27:06,520 --> 00:27:09,280 Which is a couple of other things to learn from Saul's time 445 00:27:09,280 --> 00:27:13,040 in Jerusalem before we finish. And the first thing is this. 446 00:27:14,600 --> 00:27:18,320 Saul's conversion was hard to believe because conversions are 447 00:27:18,320 --> 00:27:23,040 always hard to believe. At first verse 26, when Saul 448 00:27:23,040 --> 00:27:25,680 came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they 449 00:27:25,680 --> 00:27:30,160 were all afraid of him not believing that he really was a 450 00:27:30,160 --> 00:27:33,040 disciple. I'm going to say that would have 451 00:27:33,040 --> 00:27:35,280 been a really painful experience for Saul. 452 00:27:36,640 --> 00:27:38,880 But to understand the just and believers skepticism, you just 453 00:27:38,880 --> 00:27:41,520 remember the last time they saw Saul three years earlier. 454 00:27:41,640 --> 00:27:44,560 He was this violent persecutor of the church. 455 00:27:44,560 --> 00:27:48,040 He had maybe thrown into prison again, friends or family members 456 00:27:48,040 --> 00:27:51,200 of these disciples, and he hadn't even heard of Saul for 457 00:27:51,200 --> 00:27:53,880 three years. And now he turns up claiming to 458 00:27:53,880 --> 00:27:56,200 be a follower of Jesus and they just don't buy it. 459 00:27:56,200 --> 00:28:00,520 I want to say it's a strange truth in the Christian life that 460 00:28:00,520 --> 00:28:04,400 even when you have seen the power of God at work in your own 461 00:28:04,400 --> 00:28:09,640 life, Jesus welcoming and forgiving you, you still find it 462 00:28:09,640 --> 00:28:12,040 difficult to believe he could actually welcome and forgive 463 00:28:12,440 --> 00:28:16,280 that person or this person or that person. 464 00:28:16,280 --> 00:28:20,720 I know really well the disciples in Jerusalem had all experienced 465 00:28:20,720 --> 00:28:23,560 God's grace and mercy and patience, but they just didn't 466 00:28:23,560 --> 00:28:27,640 believe that extended as far as someone like Saul. 467 00:28:29,600 --> 00:28:31,720 And sadly, even up to the present, some of these people 468 00:28:31,720 --> 00:28:34,480 who have come to know Jesus are greeted with suspicion and 469 00:28:34,480 --> 00:28:38,320 hostility by Christians because we just can't quite get our 470 00:28:38,320 --> 00:28:40,360 heads around how Jesus could save that person. 471 00:28:42,720 --> 00:28:46,880 So how does Saul respond? Well, thankfully the Lord 472 00:28:46,880 --> 00:28:52,960 stepped in and worked through a man named Barnabas, and Barnabas 473 00:28:52,960 --> 00:28:58,080 took a risk on Saul. And if you've read Acts up to 474 00:28:58,080 --> 00:29:00,440 this point, we've already met Barnabas once before in chapter 475 00:29:00,440 --> 00:29:03,080 4 of Acts. He's a we're told he's a Levite 476 00:29:03,080 --> 00:29:05,560 from the island of Cyprus. His birth name was Joseph, but 477 00:29:05,760 --> 00:29:08,080 everyone calls him Barnabas, which means son of 478 00:29:08,080 --> 00:29:10,800 encouragement. Barnabas earned that name 479 00:29:10,800 --> 00:29:14,760 because he is just such a generous and loving disciple of 480 00:29:14,880 --> 00:29:17,040 Jesus. And he proved to be a huge 481 00:29:17,040 --> 00:29:20,400 encouragement to Saul and to the early church through his 482 00:29:20,400 --> 00:29:23,680 intervention in a moment of doubt and suspicion, because 483 00:29:23,680 --> 00:29:27,000 verse 27, if you look down, we learned that Barnabas spoke with 484 00:29:27,000 --> 00:29:29,000 Saul when he arrived in Jerusalem. 485 00:29:29,000 --> 00:29:32,160 He listened carefully to what Saul told him about his 486 00:29:32,160 --> 00:29:35,800 encounter with Jesus. And then Barnabas waited up and 487 00:29:35,800 --> 00:29:41,960 believed Saul and introduce Saul to the disciples to the apostles 488 00:29:42,160 --> 00:29:45,280 in Jerusalem. In look at verse 27, the way 489 00:29:45,280 --> 00:29:48,800 Barnabas keeps emphasizing what Jesus has done in Saul's life, 490 00:29:49,040 --> 00:29:52,280 that Saul on his journey had seen the Lord, the Lord had 491 00:29:52,280 --> 00:29:56,600 spoken to Saul and in Damascus Saul had preached fearlessly in 492 00:29:56,600 --> 00:30:00,840 the name of Jesus. See what did Barnabas do in 493 00:30:00,840 --> 00:30:03,240 Jerusalem? He didn't just run away from 494 00:30:03,240 --> 00:30:04,120 Saul. He didn't just say, well, I 495 00:30:04,120 --> 00:30:07,880 can't believe Jesus would really save Saul. 496 00:30:09,200 --> 00:30:14,120 He took a risk, and he asked Saul some questions, and he 497 00:30:14,120 --> 00:30:18,920 listened to Saul's answers. And that was a huge risk. 498 00:30:18,920 --> 00:30:22,760 If Saul was an undercover agent just looking for Christians to 499 00:30:22,760 --> 00:30:24,920 arrest, Barnabas was a prime candidate. 500 00:30:26,360 --> 00:30:29,640 But actually, instead, Barnabas listened and he saw something of 501 00:30:29,720 --> 00:30:33,840 Jesus in Saul. And so we welcome Saul into the 502 00:30:33,840 --> 00:30:36,320 early church. It's as if Barnabas had to 503 00:30:36,320 --> 00:30:39,840 remind the apostles and all the other disciples just who Jesus 504 00:30:39,840 --> 00:30:43,880 is, and that Jesus is in the business of saving and 505 00:30:43,880 --> 00:30:47,760 transforming people. Again, the 12 apostles all knew 506 00:30:47,760 --> 00:30:50,200 that from their own lives. Look at the Gospels, the 12 507 00:30:50,200 --> 00:30:51,520 apostles, They're always getting it wrong. 508 00:30:51,520 --> 00:30:54,680 They're always foolish and slow. They run away when Jesus needs 509 00:30:54,680 --> 00:30:57,560 the most. They know all about the grace of 510 00:30:57,560 --> 00:31:00,400 God, and yet they they have struggled to remember it when it 511 00:31:00,400 --> 00:31:04,720 comes to someone like Saul. So the Lord sends Barnabas, who 512 00:31:04,720 --> 00:31:11,160 takes a risk on Saul. Becoming a Christian is a huge 513 00:31:11,160 --> 00:31:16,160 thing, and when someone comes to put their faith in Jesus for the 514 00:31:16,160 --> 00:31:19,120 first time, they'll often bring with them a fair bit of baggage, 515 00:31:20,360 --> 00:31:25,280 maybe a past that they're ashamed of, old habits, patterns 516 00:31:25,280 --> 00:31:28,400 of behaviour they need to change, ways of speaking or 517 00:31:28,400 --> 00:31:31,720 thinking or doing things that Christians might find difficult. 518 00:31:31,720 --> 00:31:35,400 But we need to learn from Barnabas here. 519 00:31:36,520 --> 00:31:39,200 If we're committed to reaching out with the good news of Jesus 520 00:31:39,200 --> 00:31:42,040 to Clarendon Park and to the whole of the city, wherever God 521 00:31:42,040 --> 00:31:46,960 has put us needs to be willing to take a risk on people. 522 00:31:47,120 --> 00:31:51,240 Not because we're always going to get it right, but because 523 00:31:51,240 --> 00:31:54,680 Jesus is in the business of transforming the most unlikely 524 00:31:55,200 --> 00:32:01,880 person through faith in him. So and Barnabas, this is the 525 00:32:01,880 --> 00:32:04,720 beginning of a beautiful friendship for these two guys. 526 00:32:05,920 --> 00:32:08,480 It'll culminate in them being missionaries and church planters 527 00:32:08,480 --> 00:32:13,440 across the Roman world taking a risk on people who have not yet 528 00:32:13,440 --> 00:32:17,240 heard about Jesus, but who come to faith in Jesus through their 529 00:32:17,400 --> 00:32:20,640 witness. And if you're a Christian here 530 00:32:20,640 --> 00:32:23,240 this morning, I want you to think for a minute, who were the 531 00:32:23,240 --> 00:32:27,720 Barnabas in your life? Who were the people who took a 532 00:32:27,720 --> 00:32:31,320 risk on you? Who encouraged you? 533 00:32:31,600 --> 00:32:35,640 Who prayed for you? Who welcomed you in the name of 534 00:32:35,640 --> 00:32:39,440 Jesus? We should stop regular and just 535 00:32:39,440 --> 00:32:40,880 give thanks to God for those people. 536 00:32:42,080 --> 00:32:47,680 And then we need to think, who can I be a Barnabas to in this 537 00:32:48,080 --> 00:32:52,760 year ahead? Who can I encourage and proclaim 538 00:32:52,800 --> 00:32:56,800 Jesus to and point to the grace of God? 539 00:33:00,400 --> 00:33:04,240 Acts Chapter 9, The early years of the apostle Paul. 540 00:33:06,320 --> 00:33:08,120 We learn about the shape of the Christian life here. 541 00:33:09,000 --> 00:33:12,640 We are witnesses for Jesus on the way of the cross. 542 00:33:13,920 --> 00:33:16,040 We follow Jesus. We proclaim Jesus because he 543 00:33:16,040 --> 00:33:20,600 alone can save, but that will involve suffering and rejection. 544 00:33:22,480 --> 00:33:25,120 But that's why we need to remember who Jesus is and that 545 00:33:25,120 --> 00:33:31,440 he is with us when we experience suffering and rejection again. 546 00:33:31,440 --> 00:33:34,040 The bread and wine we're going to take in a moment is all about 547 00:33:34,040 --> 00:33:36,800 remembering Jesus loved us so much. 548 00:33:37,200 --> 00:33:41,720 He suffered and gave his life to reconcile us to God. 549 00:33:43,600 --> 00:33:47,680 Jesus is with us always to the very end of the age. 550 00:33:47,960 --> 00:33:50,640 Jesus knows what it is to suffer. 551 00:33:51,560 --> 00:33:53,960 Jesus can strengthen us in our suffering. 552 00:33:55,320 --> 00:33:58,680 And Jesus knows suffering will never have the last word in the 553 00:33:58,680 --> 00:34:03,520 life of one of his followers. The last word belongs to Jesus. 554 00:34:04,960 --> 00:34:06,880 Again, when Chris leads us in a moment, we're going to remember 555 00:34:06,880 --> 00:34:11,800 this is a meal we celebrate until the Lord comes, until the 556 00:34:11,840 --> 00:34:17,600 end of the age when Jesus will welcome his people home and he 557 00:34:17,600 --> 00:34:21,199 will say, well done, good and faithful servant, come and share 558 00:34:21,600 --> 00:34:27,600 your master's happiness. We are witnesses for Jesus as we 559 00:34:27,600 --> 00:34:32,159 walk the way of the cross and Jesus wants to strengthen us 560 00:34:32,920 --> 00:34:34,760 until the day we see him face to face. 561 00:34:35,360 --> 00:34:38,360 That was Saul's testimony. That can be the testimony of 562 00:34:38,360 --> 00:34:40,800 every believer here this morning.