Book of Acts - Ch. 8, Vs. 35-Ch. 9, Vs. 20 (03/09/2003)

Park Meadows Church

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let us begin to start. If you remember,

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Philip was talking to the eunuch. Joy, do we know who this eunuch is?

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What is a eunuch? How come he knew?

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He was studying the Bible. Why? Well, the

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New Testament hadn't been written yet. He was studying the

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Old Testament. Beginning now with verse 35.

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Then Philip opened his mouth and began at the same scripture and preached unto him,

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Jesus. And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water.

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And a eunuch said, See, here is water. What doth hinder me to be baptized? Now I want you to watch

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Philip's answer. This is another scripture that removes the thought that you have to be baptized in order to be saved.

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And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest.

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And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Now, to begin with,

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Philip made the statement or asked the question, if you believe with all your heart, how much more can one believe than that,

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Virg? No way. Was it a spiritual or physical belief?

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All right. So we have a spiritual belief. Greg, who, well, how did it come about that the eunuch believed this?

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That's right. Knowledge and grace grow gradually, don't they?

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Those that would begin must see that they have a need to be taught. Look what happens when the

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Spirit of God uses the Word of God through a servant of God. You see that?

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The Word of God through a servant of God. Now, 38,

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And he commanded the chariot to stand still. And they went down both into the water, both

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Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized them. And when they were come up out of the water, the

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Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, and that the eunuch saw him no more, and he went on his way rejoicing.

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Greg, what about this Spirit caught away Philip? What took place? Is Russell there?

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What do you think, Russell? The Spirit caught away Philip.

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Have you done any study, any of you, on material transmission where you take your letter to the post office, and they put it in a machine, and it translates it to the destination?

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It's reassembled there, a machine or whatever it was. It's reassembled on the far end, and you have experienced material transmission.

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Have you read anything about that? Have you, Greg? I haven't either.

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But that's what we have here. Philip just disappeared.

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But Philip was found at Aztos, and passing through, he preached in all the cities till he came to Caesarea.

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That's right. We do not understand the transmission or translating of Philip, but it took place.

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Now we open the ninth chapter. This is dealing with Paul.

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First of all, all of you listen, you have payment on demand.

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That's a common phrase. What does it mean, Greg, payment on demand?

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Greg? All right.

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It's a demand put upon you to pay it. We have other things. Payment on demand, that's a familiar term.

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Are you familiar with it, Virg? All right. Can we have prayer on demand?

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Well, I just asked the question, can you have prayer on demand?

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Yes. Well, prayer on demand, in light of payment on demand, does not exist.

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And I think that a lot of our prayers in the assembly are just an exercise, an experience.

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I don't know how else to classify it. It becomes a habit. But real prayer, and there are several, and you can utter them audibly.

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It just does not happen that somebody asks you to pray and you pray without any regard to the

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Holy Spirit. Who's asking?

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It could be or it might not be. I'm not judging that, but only you would know if it was demanded of you to pray.

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All I'm saying is it's not a prayer if it's just from the mouth out.

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It has to be from God to you. Beg your pardon?

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Yes. Yes. Well, keeping it on man's level, you cannot demand somebody to pray.

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Now, I have two more questions. They're almost alike, and I may have asked them before, but does the divine will of God render the future sinful act absolutely certain?

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Does the divine will of God render the future sinful act absolutely certain?

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David, from man's viewpoint now.

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All right, let me ask this question. Does the divine will of God render the self -determining action of the sinner absolutely certain?

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David, that's right.

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That's what I wanted to get at. It's sinful on man's part, but not on God the

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Father. Now come to verse chapter 9. Acts chapter 9.

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And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the

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Lord, went unto the high priest. I'm sorry, we do not have the

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Greek on this available, but the original text, very emphatic, and points out how determined Saul was to carry out this purpose of totally destroying the infant

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Church of Christ. He was determined.

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He was a brilliant man. He was a zealous man, and it was, it consumed him totally to stamp out all of the way.

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Breathing out threatenings and slaughter, so to speak, the element from which he drew his very breath was to do away with him.

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He goes to the high priest, but this time was Gamaliel, Saul's master teacher, and he secures warrants for the rest of John Doe and all that he could find wherever he found them.

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And this was Saul's own idea. So you see how dedicated he was to it?

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Second verse. And desired of him letters to Damascus, to the synagogues, that if they found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto

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Jerusalem. He had a contingency of soldiers with him, and he would go in and find some and take a soldier or two to take them back bound unto

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Jerusalem. Now being bound means just that, and today we would put them in handcuffs.

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But, Roger, did this pertain to all people or just Jews? Roger is here, isn't he?

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Okay, Richard? Yes, yes.

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Greg, did these letters of, what would you call them?

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What? Did it warrant of arrest, did it pertain to all people or just Jews?

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That's right, it was Jews only. The Sanhedrin did not extend to the

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Gentile, so it was Jews only. Wherever he found them.

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As he journeyed, he came near Damascus. My throat is giving out, but as he was going, he's not hurrying, he's very methodically marching down the road to Damascus.

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We don't know exact spot, but suddenly, suddenly, surprisingly, without warning, unexpected, there shined around him a light from heaven.

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Now, Virg, what would you think had you been Paul? Well, it was an extraordinary flash of electric fluid accompanied with thunder.

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God chose to astonish and confound Saul and his company, but modified it as to prevent it from striking them dead.

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Out of the thunder or immediately after it, Christ spoke in an awful and distinct voice, which appears to have been understood by Saul only.

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Now, the devil comes in darkness, our Lord comes in light.

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Question, how close was Paul to salvation, David? Just before it happened.

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He thought he had security for heaven. That's right.

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He was not looking for salvation. I hope you can get that fixed in your mind.

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He was not looking for salvation. He was looking to destroy those that claimed salvation for, and he fell to the earth and heard a voice saying unto him,

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Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? Whatever is done against Christians or anything that Christ commands them, he takes it as done against him.

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Now, we understand this. Saul really hadn't understood it to this point.

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It is not the Lord that, it is not,

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Lord, what will you have me to say, what will you have me to do?

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There's a big difference. It is not the talking, but the walking.

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A person that is true Christian will walk and act like one.

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He was going to Damascus before this on the devil's errand.

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Now, God bids him go. He had better authority for his going now than what he had from the high priest before.

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He went before the others, destruction. He now goes for his own instruction in the order to be saved for, and he fell to the earth.

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I can just see him, a bright light, and he fell to the earth.

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Why persecutest thou me? This was, this was new to Paul, or Saul.

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It would be hard for me to call him Saul. And he said, who art thou, Lord? Now, the

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Lord here means sir, not Lord God. Who art thou, sir?

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And the Lord said to him, I am Jesus whom thou persecuted. It's hard for thee to kick against the pricks.

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Now, that last statement bothered me for years until I got old enough to look it up. David, what does it mean?

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Who knows? All right. Russell, you don't know?

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Yes, I am. A cattle prod.

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You all know what that is, don't you? Anybody not know? It's a cattle prod.

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It was an iron instrument with sharp points on the end, and it's hard for you to kick against that.

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So, don't fight against it. That's right.

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That's a very good point, and he spoke to Saul, and he spoke to you.

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He spoke to all of you individually. He doesn't say wholesale.

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It's individual. Six, and he trembling and astonished said,

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Lord, and this is Lord Supreme, what wilt thou have me to do?

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And the Lord said unto him, arise, go into the city, and it shall be told thee what you must do.

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Now, it was going to be told him what he might do, what you must do.

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Please note that. Now, between the word said and Lord, and let's go back, and trembling and astonished said,

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Lord. Between those two words, he was saved. Rather, he realized that he was saved.

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Yes. Yes. Yes.

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That's right. That's a good picture of Saul. Of Saul.

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Yes. Any of the rest of you? Yes. Yes.

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That's right. No. Yes. That's right.

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Oh, yes, but I'm talking about salvation. Salvation is a personal, one -on -one event.

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Yes. That's not true.

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Anything else on the prod? What? Up to this point,

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Greg, what had Saul been afraid of? And he rebelled.

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No. No. Seven. And the man which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man.

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In 1 Kings 1911, turn to that, Greg, please. 1

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Kings 1911, read through 13.

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So don't expect God to come riding in on a charger, full bore, and just overwhelm everybody.

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He spoke only so Paul or Saul could understand him. Now the rest heard thunder or they heard a voice or something.

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They could not understand what was being said. And Saul arose from the earth, and when his eyes were opened, he saw no man.

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What happened to him? Blinded. But they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus.

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Now, joy, this is a far different entrance into Damascus than Saul had been thinking about.

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The Lord chose to make one of those very disciples whom he was going to bring to Jerusalem to be the means of his salvation, to show

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God will help man by man. Did you ever think about that?

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God helps man by man. That they may learn to love, respect each other, also that in the tender voice of Ananias, that he may see the spirit and tendency of that religion of which he is soon to become a disciple.

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Nine, and he was three days without sight, and neither did eat nor drink for three days.

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Well, character is not formed by positive impressions. How is character formed,

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Greg? Voluntary, by the actions.

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We shall not be judged by what we feel, but rather by what we've done.

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And there was a certain disciple at Damascus, a very one among others that Saul was on the way to arrest, named

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Ananias. And to him said the Lord in a vision, Ananias. And he said, behold, here

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I am, Lord. And the Lord said unto him, arise and go into the street which is called straight, and inquire in the house of Judas.

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Now, this is not Judas Iscariot. Just the only time his name, this man's name is mentioned is here.

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For one called Saul of Tarsus, who, behold, he prayeth, and has seen in a vision a man named

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Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him that he might receive his sight.

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Now, Saul of Tarsus, a brilliant young man, is sitting in darkness and confusion.

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What a picture. The Spirit of God comes to another man, Ananias, and sends him over to Saul of Tarsus.

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Did Ananias want to go? No. Then Ananias said,

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Lord, I've heard by many of this man, I don't want to go. How much evil this man has done.

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How he has done it to your saints at Jerusalem. And here he has authority from the chief priest to bind all that call on thy name.

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Now, Saul had not arrived in Damascus yet, had he? I mean, in his official capacity, he was stopped outside of town someplace.

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How did Ananias know this? Well, we don't have a record of how he knew, but I imagine that he knew by word of mouth that the disciples in Damascus were getting very shook up.

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He is coming. Saul is coming. Well, either that or he watched the six o 'clock news.

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I don't know which. But the Lord said unto him, but the

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Lord said unto him, go thy way for he is a chosen vessel unto me to bear my name before the

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Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. For I will show him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake.

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Did Ananias argue with Paul with God or with the Lord? No. Well, he states two reasons for calling

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Saul. What are they? All right.

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That's right. Notice that he is not called a witness as the other disciples were.

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Had you noticed that? Although Paul may have seen

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Jesus at his crucifixion, he had not walked with him in the days of his flesh.

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He really knew nothing about him until that day on the road to Damascus.

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He learned about him in a big way. Now he comes in like manner to us, not with a blinding flash of light, but personal.

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Now he is to bear that name. That is the same name we're to bear today.

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Jesus. He is to bear that name before the different groups,

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Gentiles, kings, children of Israel. Gentiles are first on the list.

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Paul was sent to the Gentiles, yet when he went into a city, Russell, he always went to the

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Jew first, always to the synagogue. Paul will be the great apostle to the

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Gentiles, then to kings. He will appear before kings, probably including Nero himself, and then to the nation

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Israel. Secondly, the

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Lord said that he will show Saul how great things he must suffer for his name's sake.

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He is chosen to suffer for Jesus Christ. In my judgment, there has never been anyone who has suffered like Paul.

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Lots of people killed, but Saul lived. So I dare not say

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I'm suffering more than anyone else. Well, why does

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God let suffering happen, David? Why do we suffer? We're not suffering today, but millions of people are.

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Why does God allow that? That's right.

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Now as we look back on this remarkable conversion, you may remember that I said some time ago that it takes the

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Holy Spirit and the Word of God through a man of God. Does this prove true in the conversion of Saul of Tarsus?

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Yes, it does. The Lord Jesus appeared to him personally.

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Before Jesus left his disciples, he told them that he was going away, but that he would not leave them orphans.

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He promised them that he would send the Holy Spirit, and this is what the Spirit would do.

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He shall glorify me. The Holy Spirit speaks of Jesus only.

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Do not seek his advice on buying a new car, and shall show it unto you.

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All things that the Father hath are mine. Therefore said

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I that he shall take of mine, and show it unto you. In the book of John we find this.

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Now I think that when our resurrected Lord appeared to Saul personally, the

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Spirit of God opened his eyes spiritually and closed them physically so that he might see the

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Lord Jesus. So the Holy Spirit was definitely at work.

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How about the Word of God? How was that used in the conversion of Paul?

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Saul of Tarsus was a Pharisee, was he not? He knew a great deal about the

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Word of God. In fact, if there ever has been anyone saturated with the

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Word of God, it was Saul of Tarsus. When reading his epistles, it becomes obvious that he was very familiar with the

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Word of God. 17. An Ananias went his way, he didn't argue, he went his way into the house, and putting his hand on him, said,

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Brother Saul, Now how much faith did

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Ananias have, Greg? Can you imagine going into a room where Saddam was, laying your hand upon him, and saying,

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I'm here, brother. 18. Brother Saul, the

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Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the

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Holy Ghost. And immediately there fell from his eyes, as it had been scales, and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized.

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So when was Saul saved? Russell, when do you think?

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When was he baptized? 19.

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And when he had received meat, he was strengthened. Then was

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Saul certain days with the disciples, which were at Damascus.

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He came here to arrest each and every one of them. How did they feel?

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Joy, how did they feel at this time? And straightway he preached

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Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God. 20.

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We need to stop right here. These people were fearful, yet they believed what he was saying.

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He was saying the truth now. Quite an experience.

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Does anyone have anything to say? All right.

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Spiritual or water? Um, well, it'd be hard to be filled and not receive.

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I always took it that he was saved out on Damascus Road, and he was baptized here, identifying himself with the movement that he'd come to stamp out.

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Spiritual baptism, I hadn't thought about it. I don't know.

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Anything else? No. Neither is it true that you have to be baptized to be saved.