Acts 9:23-31: Hunting the Hunter

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Pastor Steve preaches Acts 9:23-31: Hunting the Hunter

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This week as I was studying this and actually true confessions, you know last night I just thought man,
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I should I should change the title of this Because I just kept thinking over and over and over again about the hymn amazing grace.
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We're not even seeing it this morning What's wrong with me? Sorry but I Did look it up online.
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I found some amazing facts amazing and true facts about the song amazing grace
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Which was written 251 and a half years ago, so it seemed very appropriate for me to bring it up this morning
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Don't don't ask why it's was written in Olney England that's where they first sang this song written, of course by Jonathan by Jonathan Newton Oh by John Newton Our very own
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Jonathan Newton 251 and a half It didn't become popular right away gradually spread among the churches of denominations in America and Became a revival song on the
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Western Front the Western Frontier and an African spiritual and black churches and a standard in 20th century hymn books crossed over into the commercial marketplace
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Was actually recorded by Mahalia Jackson or Mahalia Jackson in 1947 and Judy Collins in 1970
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She's looked at love from both sides now, and now she sings amazing grace. Don't ask me why but Now here are some things you don't know about the song
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There are more than 3 ,000 recordings of it in the Library of Congress One of the verses was stolen and used it was plagiarized used in another song
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We like to hear it played on bagpipes, you know when that became popular way back in 1972
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I Mean, it seems like an ancient tradition. Nope 1972 how about this the original title?
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This is really catchy. This will grab you Faced faiths review and expectation instead of amazing grace, don't ask me how that fits but That's what it was
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Fact amazing fact number five. We don't know the original tune. In other words, we don't know the music it was put on another song and As I mentioned earlier amazing grace became an
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African American spiritual and I thought well that's interesting because it was written by a man Who was a slave trader?
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image bearers being bought and sold like cattle and They would sing this song written by a man who used to engage in that and then got saved and repented
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Was sorrowful for the rest of his days about it Interesting how the Lord worked that out
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The title itself amazing grace is a paraphrase drawn from First Chronicles 1716 and 17
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The final amazing truth is that this song John Newton wrote was a spiritual discipline for him
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He had a regular practice of self -examination and he would pause at key moments in this song
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To consider his sins and God's mercies in the past To make his confession receive forgiveness in the present and to dedicate himself to God's will for the future
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He wrote in his diary on the 1st of January 1773 I am now in the 49th year of my age and may expect in the course of a few years at most
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To go to wince. I shall return no more May thy grace keep me always waiting till my appointed change shall come and Then he would continue in prayer until his appointed change meaning death
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Keep me until I die Well, let's go to our text which is in Acts chapter 9 by the way
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I took that from a website called the ghost gospel coalition org I just don't want to be you know, as I'm laying out people who commit plagiarism.
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I don't want to plagiarize myself acts Acts chapter 9 and I'm going to read verses 23 to 31
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Acts 29 verses 23 to 31 When many days had passed the
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Jews plotted to kill him, but their plot became known to Saul They were watching the gates day and night in order to kill him but his disciples took him by night and let him down through an opening in the wall lowering him in a basket and when he had come to Jerusalem, he attempted to join the disciples and They were all afraid of him for they did not believe that he was a disciple
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But Barnabas took him and brought him to the Apostles and declared to them how on the road
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He had seen the Lord who spoke to him and how at Damascus. He had preached boldly in the name of Jesus so he went in and out among them at Jerusalem preaching boldly in the name of the
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Lord and he spoke and disputed against the Hellenists But they were seeking to kill him and when the brothers learned this they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus so the church throughout all
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Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up and walking in the fear of the
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Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit it multiplied a lot to cover we're gonna go through a lot of Bible area here
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Just by way of review just talking about the book of Acts written by Luke the physician
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Pastor Mike's going through the gospel of Luke. I'm going through the book of Acts Acts of the
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Apostles Acts of the Holy Spirit but it's his second book and The purpose of this book is to show how the triune
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God worked through the Apostles To build the church of Jesus Christ to fulfill the command of the
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Lord himself in Acts chapter 1 verse 8 This is before his ascension.
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He told his disciples you Will be my disciples in Jerusalem and in Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth
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Now last week we saw how Jesus completed the transformation of the life of Saul Turning him from the most well -known enemy in the of the gospel into an evangelist
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He persecuted the church. He put Christians to death. He ravaged the church
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But God turned him into an evangelist which is to say a proclaimer of the truth a proclaimer of the gospel a proclaimer of Jesus Christ himself
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Saul once stood holding the cloaks Of those who stoned
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Stephen for blasphemy and after encountering the resurrected Jesus on the road to Damascus Saul would declare
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Himself declare Jesus to be the Son of God just like Stephen did
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If you recall back in Acts chapter 7 verses 55 and 56 but he
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Stephen Full of the Holy Spirit Gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God and he said
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Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God That was his confession right as he was being put to death
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Now our confession talking about Jesus in Particular our confession
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London Baptist Confession of Faith Says this the Son of God the second person in the
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Holy Trinity being very an eternal God Which is so important I was even
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Talking to a few Mormons online a week ago, and they want to say that they believe what we believe
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But they believe that Jesus had a starting point That he came into existence as a spirit being
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But our confession and the Bible says that he is eternal God the brightness of the
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Father's glory of one substance and listen and equal with him
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Conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mary which person is very God and very man yet one
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Christ one person with two natures The only mediator between God and man and if you recall
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When I read acts 922 last week from the New English translation.
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I just enjoyed that because The the way they translated this but Saul Became more and more capable that is to say skilled in presenting the gospel.
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He knew the scriptures He knew the Old Testament backwards and forwards But he can't became more capable and was causing consternation
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Among the Jews Who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the
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Christ? He's using the Old Testament proving that Jesus is the Messiah and he's making them very very angry now this morning
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We will see four stages of The Suffering that Jesus said he would go through four stages of suffering for peas preparation
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Plot plot number one actually plot number two and Peace everywhere
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Paul goes or Saul goes. There's a plot to put him to death Want to talk about suffering
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How do we know that anyone gets saved how do we you know, somebody makes a profession of faith How do you know that person saved?
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Pastor my coffin says what keep believing but he said he also says somebody will exhibit their
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Fruit and we'll know by time and trials and this morning we're going to see
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Paul's faith exhibited through time and trials I Think if Paul were to write it he could say
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That God works all things together for good to those who love him and are called According to his purpose for good and for the glory of God Okay, so first Saul's preparation the first p preparation look at verse 23 just the beginning part of it
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And it says when many days had passed in verse 19
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Luke writes some days Here he writes many days. Can you different guess what the difference is between some days and many days?
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So it doesn't take a mathematician to sort that one out some days are fewer than many days
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Some days probably isn't Very long at all could be four or five days could be a couple weeks could be a month
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But it's not long a long period of time But many days it's much longer.
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How do we know that? How do I know how long many days might be? Because Paul writes about it in Galatians chapter by his grace
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Was pleased to reveal his son to me in order that I might preach him among the
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Gentiles. I Did not immediately consult with anyone nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me?
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But I went away into Arabia and returned again to Damascus So there's a period of time here that Luke leaves out entirely.
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Why did Luke leave it out? Because it's not germane to a story. So he just gives us the quick many days had passed
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But there's a lot going on in these many days What can we learn here from Galatians 1 we know that Paul didn't go to seminary
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No master seminary. No Southern Seminary None of that He didn't get discipled by the
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Apostles He went to Arabia That is to say out in the desert then back to Damascus Why would anybody go to Arabia scholar
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J V Fesco writes this he says scholars have speculated for centuries as To what
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Paul did in Arabia and Damascus for those three years Spoiler alert is three years, which
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I'll explain in a minute Some think he went away to contemplate the revelation of Christ that he had seen others that he was personally instructed by Christ in the wilderness
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We will never really know what happened But we should not let our curiosity concerning these three years obscure the point
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Paul is emphatic His commission was directly from Christ not in any any way from man not even other
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Apostles in fact Luther said we don't know exactly what he was doing in the desert, but we know one thing he was doing out there preaching the gospel
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And I go well, okay if we don't know what he was doing How do we know he was doing that because that's what he reflexively does
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So Saul had spent some days in Damascus and many days in Arabia He returned to Damascus and continued proclaiming that Jesus was the
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Son of God the long -promised Messiah Proving him to be the Son of God from the
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Old Testament and really what is that? You know if somebody's going to prove to you that Jesus is the
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Son of God. What are they doing? They are Preaching the gospel to you because the gospel consists of two things people want to give a lot of commands
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When they give the gospel you need to do this you need to do that you need to believe this you need to you need to you need to Okay But what's the gospel?
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The gospel is who Jesus is which is to say is the Son of God, but there's a lot even implied in that What do you mean that he's the
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Son of God? I mean that he's eternally the Son of God that he's eternally begotten of the
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Father There's never a time that he didn't exist So if you're giving the gospel to somebody you have to tell them who
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Jesus is and then What he did What about repentance what about praying a prayer what about filling out a card?
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What about what about what about? If somebody believes you won't have to follow up with anything else.
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I mean you you'll want to engage them in further Conversation, but when somebody believes the gospel you don't have to focus on these other things they believe they want
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They want to follow they want to learn more Anyway, that's point number one
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Saul's preparation or first piece second one the first plots against Saul or plot against Saul number one because it sounds kind of I Don't know
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Like a plot device or something in a movie right? This is plot against Saul number one.
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There's a search for him Look at verse 23 again when many days had passed the
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Jews plotted to kill him Again this is in Damascus, but their plot became known to Saul so he's gone out into the desert
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He's come back to Damascus continue to preach They want to put him to death and the plot becomes known to Saul Now again, if you remember how we're introduced to Saul in Acts chapter 8 and Saul approved of his execution
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Stephen's Execution and there arose on that day a great persecution against the church the death of Stephen kicks off this massive rage against the church and They were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria except the
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Apostles Which later leads to what? churches in all these different areas around Devout men buried
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Stephen and made great lamentation over him verse 3 of chapter 8 but Saul was
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Ravaging the church and entering house after house. He dragged off men and women and committed them to prison
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This is Saul Saul the Ravager Saul the persecutor
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Saul the arrester he was Relentless he was remorseless
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He hated the church. He hated Christ Saul approved of Stephen's execution by a mob and now this mob in Damascus wants
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Saul put to death But it's not Saul's time to die he learns of the plot we don't know how and Nobody is going to put him to death just yet The unconverted
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Jews of Tarsus those to whom he was preaching and he they were rejecting the message
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Wanted him put to death Look again at verse 24 the second half of it
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They were watching the gates day and night in order to kill him We'll keep him inside the town.
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We won't let him get out. We'll watch the gates day and night take shifts Take turns watching the gates
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Again Paul later on gives a slightly different account. This is 2nd
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Corinthians chapter 11 verse 33 at Damascus Okay, this is the same setting same city the governor under King Aretas Was guarding the city of Damascus in order to seize me so which is correct was it the governor
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Was it the Jews there in the town? both in fact, this really helps us nail a few things down one is the timeline
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Since Aretas dies in 40 AD thereabouts and we know this has to come before that We're talking about this probably took place somewhere around 37
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AD or something Which is remarkable when you think about it seems like maybe a long time since the crucifixion
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Not that long, you know somewhere between four and seven years after the crucifixion so The king the so read us had taken
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Possession of Damascus from the Roman Empire sometime while Saul's out there in the desert
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You know whether Saul made some enemies in the desert and the Nabataean and Nabataean Kingdom or whether the
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Jews convinced the governor of Damascus that Saul was a troublemaker. We don't know what we do know is that the local government and The Jews that were angry with him were searching for Saul watching for him
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Waiting for him to try to get out of the city so they could have him executed They were watching the text would tell us with great intensity
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Like kids playing a video game Try to interrupt them while they're doing that. These people are focused.
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They're looking for anything out of the ordinary day or night but Saul Escapes with a little help from his friends
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Look at verse 25 but his disciples Took him by night and let him down through an opening in the wall
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Lowering him in a basket. I mean this is the stuff of great nail -biting
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Moving scenes. This is something like a mission impossible. I don't really think
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Paul probably looked like Tom Cruise, but just imagine for a moment It's completely dark
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There's no electricity. There might be some torches, but nothing to really speak of It's quiet If you can imagine just picture a world without the
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Internet, I mean, I know it's hard no Streaming video it would make noise.
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It would be easily detected and stopped But Saul has some disciples
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Which is to say I mean, this is amazing if we think about it because he's there for a short period of time in Damascus He goes out into the desert
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He's there for a good period of time then he comes back in for Not too long
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But he has disciples that is to say followers people who have come to Christ because of his preaching and They hatch an escape plan
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I mean certainly we would think that they would probably want to try this out of time or two
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You wouldn't want to just you know, see if it would work on the fly a couple of trial runs maybe, you know lower a dog see if they come, you know chase the
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The basket down But it goes off without a hitch and Saul is able to flee
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Damascus to get out of town ahead of the mob so that's Saul's preparation then the
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Plot against Saul number one and now the plot against Saul number two now if it were me
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If I were leaving Damascus when people were trying to kill me there in Damascus I think I would probably think okay, where's a safe place to go?
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I Probably go to my hometown Tarsus right? He doesn't do that Instead he goes to where he's known as the ravager of the church
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The persecutor of the church he goes to Jerusalem look verse 26 and when he had come to Jerusalem He attempted to join the disciples and they were all afraid of him for they did not believe that he was a disciple
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Maybe Saul thought hey, they would have forgotten me by now. Maybe he got a
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Little disguise a suntan while he was out in the desert or whatever you know my brother's here this morning and he he was regaling me with this little story from our
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Teen years when he went to Catalina Island for the summer and came back home And he gotten so much
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Sun that when he knocked on the door to get let in He was so dark and his hair was so blonde
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I slammed the door in his face. I had no idea who it was And so then he actually goes knock it off.
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Let me in and I'm like, oh I recognize that voice the face I didn't know at all. So maybe maybe
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Saul's looking for something like that Maybe one of those Mission Impossible masks.
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I don't know. Okay Maybe he thought and this is more reasonable than all that silliness.
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Maybe he thought that once they heard his testimony Once they heard how the
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Lord had appeared to him, maybe he could tell them look I I know I was wrong and I I don't expect you guys to trust me, but this is what happened and I'm I'm just here to repent and to have fellowship, but if that's what he thought he was wrong again the text would tell us here in verse 26 that he repeatedly tried to have fellowship with the believers and They all
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Repeatedly rejected him and the reasons plain They were afraid
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He had a reputation But had the church in Jerusalem not heard about his conversion again to Galatians 1
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Paul helps us verses 22 and 23 This is after his time in Arabia And he writes this
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Galatians 1 22 and 23 and I was still unknown in person to the church's of Judea that are in Christ They only were hearing it
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Said that he who used to persecute us is now preaching the faith. He once tried to destroy so the rumors may have reached some
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But no one is willing to trust him. No one is willing to reach out and say let's give brother
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Saul a chance here Simon Kistemacher wrote this he says because Paul spent more time in the
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Arabian deserts than in Damascus Damascus in Damascus itself
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The news concerning him has been indefinite sketchy and perhaps untrustworthy people hear these vague rumors
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They're not going for it Daryl Bach wrote this he said if Paul did disappear from Jerusalem site for three years
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Might not some Christians have been suspicious when he did show up. I'm your long -lost friend
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Saul. No. Well, no, you're not So the picture for Saul is this the church wants nothing to do with him and In Jerusalem, he was one of the war more well -known scholars and well -known
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Persecutors of the church. He was a defender of Judaism Zealous for the faith. He wrote about it himself a
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Pharisee the Pharisees. He was one whom the Sanhedrin Well, he would agree with the
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Sanhedrin who declared Jesus to be a false Messiah but now Now it would be known that he had betrayed the
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Jewish leadership even making Christian converts of some Jews in Damascus and Maybe even in the desert of Arabia, even though it's not said there there may may have been some there
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There is biblical evidence that he had connections in Jerusalem. In fact, his
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Sister and nephew probably lived in Jerusalem. We see that in Acts 23 16
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But Saul needed help He needed fellowship Kistemacher writes this Paul stands alone between two religious bodies
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Judaism and Christianity for neither Accepts him. He was essentially a man without a religion
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But thankfully God sent a man to help that man's name is
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Barnabas and everyone needs a friend like Barnabas look at verse 27, but Barnabas took him and brought him to the
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Apostles and Declared to them how on the road he meaning Saul had seen the
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Lord Who spoke to him and how at Damascus he had preached boldly in the name of Jesus?
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Barnabas as we know means son of encouragement But what moved him to be so bold to stand up for Saul and the answer is we don't know but If we think about this book being the acts of the
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Apostles or the acts of the Holy Spirit I think it's reasonable to think that the
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Holy Spirit so worked in Barnabas That his heart Softened towards Saul that he listened to Saul.
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I mean where else would he get this whole story? And he puts his own reputation on the line for this repentant murderer and blasphemer
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Luke says Barnabas described Saul as preaching that word there preached boldly can mean that he preached freely or Fearlessly when you have no
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No regard for your own life because you know where you're going afterward you can preach
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Fearlessly because what's the worst thing that can happen? They put you to death Luke told
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Barnabas or told us that Barnabas went to bat before the Apostles Says that in verse 27 brought him to the
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Apostles However, Paul again apparent contradiction, which we're going to reconcile here in Galatians 1 verses 18 and 19
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Paul wrote this then after three years. I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and Remained with him 15 days
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But I saw none of the other Apostles except James the Lord's brother Now immediately you should be thinking to yourself.
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Well James is or is not an Apostle He's not So, what does this mean?
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Barnabas took brought him to the Apostles Paul says
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I only saw Cephas Peter okay, and James the
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Lord's brother. Well, who else is James or what other office does he hold? He's the leader of the church in Jerusalem So you put together
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James the Lord's half -brother the leader of the church in Jerusalem Peter the one whom
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Jesus said Designated basically I'll say to be the leader of the church universal
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Leader of the Apostles, so what do you get you have the representatives of the Apostles?
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let's put it this way if somebody goes to Scott Brown pretty tea luck and Convinces them that he or she is a believer
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You could say that He or she convinced the elders why?
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because Pastor Mike and I or and whichever one of them didn't hear it are going to read the testimony of the other elder and we're going to go we believe that the elders are fine with that and It's in that same way that Barnabas takes
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Saul before the Apostles because the Apostles Peter and James the brother of Jesus half brother of Jesus They hear
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Saul's testimony and they go, you know what? We believe this guy and because those two are men of Great, let's just say theological acumen.
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They listen they believe and the other Apostles then trust Let's talk about this three years for a moment
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Three years sounds like a really long time and it could have been three entire years
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But just like with the resurrection where three days means what Jesus is crucified on Friday Later not late in the day, but a little bit later in the day not early morning and not at midnight
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He spends all day Saturday in the tomb But they go The women go to the tomb early on Sunday morning and what happens not there?
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But by Jewish reckoning that's three days part of Friday all of Saturday part of Sunday three days in the same way
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We don't know exactly how long three years is here, but it could be as little as One plus, you know could be like say from Thanksgiving to the end of the year on one end than an entire year and then maybe a month on the other end so it could be 14 15 months, but it would count as three years by Jewish reckoning
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That accounts for the time in Damascus and Arabia and we're told that he spends 15 days with Cephas with Peter So if Barnabas is able and he does to convince them then then that would be it
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The church the twelve Apostles would be satisfied that Saul's a believer and look at the result fellowship fellowship and Something that always attends fellowship for Saul preaching
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Verse 28 so he went in and out among them at Jerusalem Preaching boldly in the name of the
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Lord again preaching boldly preaching freely What a glorious reversal again, what amazing grace again
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Saul has fellowship with those he once Persecuted and he preaches the gospel in the very city
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Where he surely rejoiced when the Lord was crucified But it gets even better look at verse 29 and He spoke and disputed against the
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Hellenists Now who are the Hellenists they're the Greek speaking
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Jews who live in Jerusalem What's the significance of that Well, these are exactly the same people that Stephen was preaching to when he was martyred
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Saul has essentially filled the pulpit that he emptied
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He helped put Stephen to death and now he's preaching Essentially in the place of Stephen full circle
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There are no Coincidences in God's plan, but this is an amazing providence
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Saul has changed but the Hellenists Have not the second half of 29
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But they the Hellenists were seeking to kill him again
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Luke is accurate But he tends to gloss over some details that don't really help his story and you can't really blame him
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If you just think about what writings like back then it's not like they had endless You know sheafs of paper and could just do whatever they wanted.
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They certainly didn't have the Internet which is a blessing but How do we know that the
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Hellenists wanted to kill Saul? Saul tells us
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Paul tells us In Acts 22 Acts 22 verse 17
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When I had returned to Jerusalem and Was praying in the temple.
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I fell into a trance and Saw him which we'll see in a second is the
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Lord saw him saying to me make haste Excuse me and get out of Jerusalem quickly
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Because they will not accept your testimony about me. He's not talking about the believers again
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He's talking about the Hellenists. You want to convert them and I don't blame you. This is a good thing This is a good motive you have
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But they're gonna kill you and I said verse 19 and I said
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Lord they themselves know that in one synagogue after another I imprisoned and beat those who believed in you his defense what he's trying to say is
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Lord These guys wouldn't put me to death after all they know what I was like and when the blood of Stephen your witness was being shed
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I myself was standing by and Approving and watching over the garments of those who killed him.
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Look, I'm one of them They'll listen to me Verse 21 and he
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Jesus said to him Said to me go for I will send you far away to the
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Gentiles So now his mission was made plain to him.
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He was to be the Apostle to the Gentiles Jesus tells
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Saul to leave quickly Then we have
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Saul again escaping with a little help from his friends. Look at verse 30 And when the brothers learned this when the when his fellow
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Christians in Jerusalem learned this They brought him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus well
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It wouldn't take much for us to sort out how the brothers found out Saul certainly told them and they help him
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The brothers do evade the Hellenists and they send him to his birthplace Tarsus via Caesarea In a few weeks, they've gone from fearing
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Saul to risking their own safety for him Saul will remain in the region near Tarsus for many years
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Again when we when we read Acts it kind of we don't have a really good sense of time
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It's only by comparing other things that are happening that we can sort it out But he's going to stay in that basic region for many years.
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In fact, he would later write in Galatians 1 21 then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia.
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So it's the area right around Tarsus And it's safe to presume he was evangelizing during this time as he and Silas Later are sent to strengthen churches there so we've seen
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Saul's preparation the plot against the first plot against Saul the second plot against Saul and now peace in verse 31
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And this is really a summary statement by Luke. He's letting us know that he's kind of ending this chapter this saga
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So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up and walking in the fear of the
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Lord and the comfort of the Holy Spirit it multiplied it grew now historically speaking
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Without going into all the details. There were a number of leaders in this region who get replaced
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Governments change people get removed and sacked and whatnot and these changes cause the
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Jews who were bent on persecuting the church to desist and This provided the churches throughout
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Israel and Samaria rest from outside forces rest from persecution and the churches grew or multiplied by the ordinary means of grace preaching teaching the
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Lord's table baptism and Evangelism Again, this is the closing of the conversion of Saul if we think about it.
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It started what with great persecution with Saul the Ravager with all these Christians in Jerusalem being dispersed because of fleeing the persecution and where did they go?
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Throughout Galilee and Samaria and all these different places and now they're in churches that are being built up They start churches and they're being built up So we see how
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God used persecution even the persecution of Saul to grow the church to spread the gospel and Then the ultimate irony, of course, is that we go full circle with Saul being the evangelist.
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I believe that the Apostle Paul would have sung amazing grace with great zeal
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Even as because what I was looking for when I looked at this I was looking for there was somebody who changed the words of the song and made it utterly void of Theology, but just think about the words amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me, right?
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He's on the road to Damascus. He meets the risen Lord He's shown that he's a wretch.
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He's shown that he's a sinner That he was sincere, but he was sincerely wrong.
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He was lost. He was damned. He was bound for hell But now I am found he didn't find
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Jesus Jesus found him he was blind He was spiritually blind. He was physically blind, but now
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I see he understands the truth Twas grace that taught my heart to fear what?
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Tremble at God. Well, yes in light of his justice and holiness and judgment
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But grace relieved those fears how Because of Christ Jesus Because of faith granted in his perfect work in his life death and resurrection and ascension
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Knowing that he would never have to fear the judgment of God again Dangerous toils and snares
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I have already come Tis grace has brought me safe thus far and grace will lead me home
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He had no doubt about where grace was going to lead him In fact as I read that I just thought what in Romans 8 28 when
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Paul writes Let me just read it get it right here
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Again I just think so much of the Pauline epistles are like Autobiographies as he's thinking as he's recounting these things as he's praising
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God for his work in his life He says and we know that for those who love
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God all things work together for good For those who are called according to his purpose.
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Do you think when he was being let down through that basket? He was worried. I don't think he was
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Do you think what he gets told that by Jesus himself that the Hellenists want to put him to death that he's worried
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I don't think he was why? because he knew that death was gain and To live was
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Christ and all he wanted to do was serve the Lord and fulfill the Lord's purposes in his life
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Amazing grace indeed. Well, let's pray father We thank you for this as we watch
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The amazing work that you did in the life of Saul And father we confess that when we look at our own lives were amazed
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At how you take rebels people who wanted Nothing to do with you, even though we might have thought that we were right
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Righteous good enough Certainly like Saul himself did Awareness of Reality checking as it were
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You show us Christ you show us the answer to our problem. You show us that even though in and of ourselves
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We have no hope No call on your mercy no way to be right with you you provide that in Full By the person and the work of the
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Lord Jesus Christ. You give us faith. You give us new hearts. You give us new eyes You give us new desires
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That we might please you that we might serve you father.