What does it take for God to get our attention?

Last week in episode 14 of the God’s Word, Today’s World podcast, we looked at Philip as God called him to leave his successful ministry and travel into the wilderness. We looked at how sometimes in our lives, God calls us to leave success and go into the unknown, and we need to trust Him and have the courage to follow.

We also saw that sometimes God calls our friends and/or family to leave their success and follow Him into the unknown. We looked at how we need to encourage those people to follow God. And if they come to us for advice, make sure our desire is for them to honour God no matter what, even if it means we’ll miss them like crazy.

Today, we’re going to look at how Jesus’ resurrection completely changed one man’s life, how it turned him from a man determined to destroy Christianity and everything it stood for into one of the most powerful voices in our Bibles today. Our passage today is Acts 9:1-19 (WEB):

1 But Saul, still breathing threats and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked for letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. 3 As he travelled, he got close to Damascus, and suddenly a light from the sky shone around him. 4 He fell on the earth, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”

5 He said, “Who are you, Lord?”

The Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 6  But rise up and enter into the city, then you will be told what you must do.”

7 The men who travelled with him stood speechless, hearing the sound, but seeing no one. 8 Saul arose from the ground, and when his eyes were opened, he saw no one. They led him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus. 9 He was without sight for three days, and neither ate nor drank.

10 Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias!”

He said, “Behold, it’s me, Lord.”

11 The Lord said to him, “Arise, and go to the street which is called Straight, and enquire in the house of Judah for one named Saul, a man of Tarsus. For behold, he is praying, 12 and in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and laying his hands on him, that he might receive his sight.”

13 But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he did to your saints at Jerusalem. 14 Here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.”

15 But the Lord said to him, “Go your way, for he is my chosen vessel to bear my name before the nations and kings, and the children of Israel. 16 For I will show him how many things he must suffer for my name’s sake.”

17 Ananias departed and entered into the house. Laying his hands on him, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord, who appeared to you on the road by which you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 Immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he received his sight. He arose and was baptised. 19 He took food and was strengthened. Saul stayed several days with the disciples who were at Damascus.

This is truly one of the most amazing conversions we see in the Bible—in my opinion.

It’s so incredible because of Saul’s history. See, Saul was a Hebrew of Hebrews, from the tribe of Benjamin, about as Jewish as you could get. He was born in Tarsus, a Roman state, which earned him Roman citizenship from birth. In his early years he trained beneath a well known Pharisee’s of his day, Gamaliel. Gamaliel himself was a Pharisee from the school of Hillel and his followers were a group of Pharisees known for their openness and generosity—we saw that attitude come into play in Acts 5 when Gamaliel spoke to the chief priests and advised them to let the disciples go.

So Saul was trained to be open and generous.

And yet in his youth and enthusiasm, he turned aside from that openness and instead began a vicious, and systematic attempt to destroy Christianity.

Saul knew all about Jesus, he knew that Jesus claimed to be the Son of God, he knew that Jesus had been crucified, and he knew that people claimed that Jesus had risen from the dead.

But no doubt, he also believed that Jesus’ disciples had taken Jesus’ body and hidden it.

Saul had every piece of information he needed in order to know that Jesus was who he claimed to be, the Son of God.

He grew up with passages like this one, Isaiah 53 (WEB), written hundreds of years before Jesus left heaven and came to earth:

1 Who has believed our message?

To whom has the LORD’s arm been revealed?

2 For he grew up before him as a tender plant,

     and as a root out of dry ground.

He has no good looks or majesty.

When we see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.

3 He was despised

     and rejected by men,

     a man of suffering

     and acquainted with disease.

He was despised as one from whom men hide their face;

     and we didn’t respect him.

4 Surely he has borne our sickness

     and carried our suffering;

yet we considered him plagued,

     struck by God, and afflicted.

5 But he was pierced for our transgressions.

     He was crushed for our iniquities.

The punishment that brought our peace was on him;

     and by his wounds we are healed.

6 All we like sheep have gone astray.

Everyone has turned to his own way;

     and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

7 He was oppressed,

     yet when he was afflicted he didn’t open his mouth.

As a lamb that is led to the slaughter,

     and as a sheep that before its shearers is silent,

     so he didn’t open his mouth.

8 He was taken away by oppression and judgement.

As for his generation,

     who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living

     and stricken for the disobedience of my people?

9 They made his grave with the wicked,

     and with a rich man in his death,

     although he had done no violence,

     nor was any deceit in his mouth.

10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him.

     He has caused him to suffer.

When you make his soul an offering for sin,

     he will see his offspring.

He will prolong his days

     and the LORD’s pleasure will prosper in his hand.

11 After the suffering of his soul,