Saul Sees the Light (Acts 9:1-20)

The Damascus Road is iconic. If we ask what happens in the book of Acts, Pentecost and Paul’s conversion on the Damascus Road are the two big events.

And the Damascus Road has become a term for a dramatic change of mind, of convictions. So, we think, “Great, sometimes people change.” But we don’t expect that to happen normally.

Sometimes we think, “God can’t save them” or “If they were going to become a Christian, they would be by now.” I wonder who that person is in your life: a neighbour, a friend, someone in your family?

We think, ‘They’ll never change’, ‘They have so many problems, they’ll never listen’, ‘He never will; he’s just so angry’, ‘We’ve done everything we can’.

Then we need to hear what God says to us in Acts 9:1-20:

1. No One is Too Bad for God to Save (v1-2)
2. By Confronting Them with Jesus (v4-9)
3. Making Them a New Person with a New Purpose (v10-20)
4. Saints, Be Ready & Sinners, Come to the Light (v10-14, 17)

Sunday 25th November 2018

Review questions:

• What did Saul think about executing Stephen (7:58, 8:1)?
• R.C. Sproul: Saul was “like a wild beast that snorts before it _______________.” (v1)
• How far did Saul walk to arrest Christians (v2)?
• Is God in control when we suffer? Yes/No
• A Theophany is _____________________ (v3)
• Hurting Christians = hurting ________ (v5)
• Belonging to Jesus means belonging to His ____________________ (Ephesians 4:16)
• Eternal life is ____________ Jesus (John 17:3)
• Who spoke to Ananias (v11, 17)?
• What difference did meeting Jesus make to Saul (v15)?
• An apostle had to be a ____________ of the ___________________ (1:22, 1 Cor 15:7-11)
• Why was Saul “filled with the Holy Spirit” (v17, 4:8, 6:10)?

Application questions:

• A question I have:
• A truth to share:
• How I should live:
• Something to pray about: