Shareware Overload Trio 2

home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search

/ Shareware Overload Trio 2 / Shareware Overload Trio Volume 2 (Chestnut CD-ROM).ISO / dir32 / alphon_5.zip / 8304 / ASC8304B.EXE / SAUL1.DOC < prev next >

Wrap

Text File | 1993-08-06 | 19KB | 718 lines

C:\LESSON\KINGDOM\SAUL1.DOC 03.11.91 THY KINGDOM COME PART 6 SAUL PART 1 Acts 8:1 to 3 - Acts 9:1 to 9 read -- This is the man who is going to change the whole face of things -- and is going to bring us to what we now know as Christianity -- As the false witnesses stoned Stephen -- Saul stood by giving approval to all that was going on -- This is Saul - the arrogant - rich Pharisee -- Pharisees are those who consider themselves the most religious of the religious -- Every morning when a Pharisee got out of bed -- he would raise his right hand and -- Say -- I thank you O God that I am a man and not a woman -- I thank you O God that I am not a dog - I am not a Gentile -- and that I am a Pharisee -- This is what Jesus meant when he was mocking them in the parable -- Which says in Luke 18 -- A certain man went up to the temple to pray and -- Said -- I thank you O God - that I am not as other men The Pharisee said he was more religious and spiritual than all the other Jews -- He would say -- Many Jews would drop into hell because they were not as good as he -- SAUL PART 1 He said -- He was -- much - much -- better than all the Gentiles - for all Gentiles were damned -- He had a saying -- There was great rejoicing in heaven when a sinner falls into hell -- Now we have this Pharisee - Saul of Tarsus who has brought about the stoning death of Stephen -- -- Why -- Because Stephen has brought many to the logical conclusion of what Jesus accomplished on the cross -- If Jesus died and rose again - then all that the temple stood for was over -- For now something new has happened Jerusalem is now no longer the geographical spot where men go to worship God -- but where man is - he worships God in spirit and in truth -- No more blood sacrifices It is finished -- for the blood of Jesus Christ now cleans us from all sin No more priests - and Levites For now every person who puts their trust in Jesus becomes a priest -- and they know God face to face -- intimately and personally -- With this idea it is the end of the temple - and something rose inside of Saul the Pharisee -- It was a rage and anger -- that he must kill this man Stephen for the good of the people -- and at the same time do God a service --- SAUL PART 1 On this day that the mangled body of Stephen lay there - Saul begins his persecution -- and a near miracle happened - The Saducees joined with the Pharisees -- for they too saw that the temple was in danger -- if these people of the way have their way -- The Pharisees and Saducees join together and start this intense persecution upon the church -- Many who had wavered and had said - there just may be power in the name of Jesus -- for look at the miracles that take place -- but now they back off because Judaism is in danger -- If following this Jesus means backing off from the temple -- then miracle or no miracle this cult must be stopped -- Jesus had warned his disciples of this -- He said -- The day will come when men will persecute you -- they will even kill you - and think that they are doing God a service --- Everyone of those Pharisees and Saducees sincerely thought that they were doing God a service -- They really believed that they were saving the temple from extinction --- The truth is -- if you look at church history - and also history -- they were not saving the church from extinction -- they were making sure that it would be extinguished -- It was their final rejection How God had pleaded with these people who had crucified Jesus -- to repent and believe - and they would not -- They rejected -- and rejected -- They have stoned God's messenger - to death -- and now there is about to start a great persecution --- From now on it is downhill until Jerusalem is destroyed and the temple is in flames -- The scripture says -- Now Saul of Tarsus with the temple police go from house to house to see if there is anyone who has ever confessed that -- Jesus Christ is alive from the dead -- Is there anyone here who has ever received of his miracle -- if found - they would be dragged off -- The scripture says -- Dragged off both men and women -- You can underline women for the Jews had some respect for women -- you would have thought that they would have been left out of this -- just let the heads of the household be taken -- but it was men and women who are dragged off to prison --- Paul later described what he did to these people -- He says -- I persecuted unto death -- binding and delivering into prison both men and women --- From this we can see that Stephen was only the first one to be stoned -- there were many more that followed Stephen SAUL PART 1 Many families in Jerusalem missed -- a father -- a mother -- a daughter -- a brother -- who had been dragged off and stoned to death at the orders of Saul --- At another time Paul described his past actions as -- slaughter and bringing destruction to the Church --- When interrogated all that one had to do was to blaspheme the name of Jesus and you were free --- Saul would go to their synagogues and call them out one by one -- Saying -- Will you blaspheme the name of Jesus -- And if they would not -- then they are taken -- some lashed with 39 stripes others thrown into jail others killed When he got to Galilee -- he would sure get some stories there -- They would say -- After he had risen from the dead we met him --- Others said -- We saw the nail prints in his hands -- Still others said -- We have talked with him -- We must remember that there were many in Galilee that had seen and talked with him --- SAUL PART 1 We must remember that he was seen by about 500 on one occasion -- and this was in Galilee -- There were many in Galilee that had seen and talked with him --- Saul dismisses them with a twisted laugh -- thrashing and flogging them -- like a mad man --- When the disciples saw this going on they did not hang around to be persecuted in this way -- so they scatter -- and some of them fled into Samaria and Syria -- You can see that God was in this persecution -- because all that the Church wanted to do -- was sit in Jerusalem and argue over a piece of bread --- Instead of appointing evangelists to go to the ends of the earth -- they appointed men to look after the bread -- Instead of going out with the Good News -- they were turning in and only seeing themselves -- From this situation -- God allowed Saul to scatter the people to do what he had told them to do --- In Acts 8:4 it says -- They went preaching the Word - The word preaching here in the Greek means -- sharing This is the one person speaking to another person -- The actual meaning in the Greek is -- they gossiped the Gospel they shared the Gospel wherever they were with another -- it was something you would speak of in your ordinary day's conversation This is what the plan of God was -- SAUL PART 1 Get out there and gossip the Gospel -- -- Share the gospel -- Plant seeds in the midst of pagan people And from this -- the Church went on to be the new Israel of God and Judaism goes on to its great judgement in A.D. 70 -- God did what he did -- so that the Church would be separated from Judaism -- and that the Church would go out and gossip the Gospel --- God is the Lord of the harvest -- and he had many ways of spreading his Gospel -- sometimes in the most unusual way --- I look back on my own life and I see turmoil -- but now I can thank God -- for he has placed me a seed into the place where he wants me to grow --- Look at Saul -- the great persecutor -- finds a fire burning in Jerusalem -- it is the fire of the Lord -- So Saul -- for the glory of God -- tries to stamp it out -- and in so doing -- sparks fly all over the place and starts fire in every direction -- Now he is caught in the middle of the fire -- and becomes alight himself -- This is God's way of doing things Saul in his rage stamped this movement out in Jerusalem -- and now he moves to other cities -- He moves into Galilee and then onto Damascus --- Before all this takes place Saul needs permission -- he goes to the High Priest Caiaphas -- and asks for letters of authority -- The Sanhedrin council under Caiaphas -- controlled the entire Jewish world -- throughout the Roman empire --- SAUL PART 1 So here the High Priest gives Saul letters of authority Saul would never have gotten those letters -- unless he had been a member of the Sanhedrin council --- This tells me a lot about Saul -- He is the personal representative of the High Priest -- wherever he is to go in the Roman empire -- he will be treated as if he is Caiaphas himself --- Saul here has absolute authority -- to bind -- to kill -- to destroy in the name of the Temple -- It is interesting at this point to note that the civil world -- this is the Roman empire -- they had not bothered at all with the Church -- in one sense they did not even care - it is just another sect --- As far as Herod -- He said -- Let it be -- I interviewed this Jesus -- He was just some crack pot He would not even answer me Civil authorities normally do not become too concerned about the Church -- It is religion with its venom and poison that seeks to destroy the Church -- this is always the case --- If any of you have had any persecution it will have come from the so called church -- It is they who have killed more Christians than anyone else - it is those who use the name of Jesus -- and yet do not know him --- SAUL PART 1 Why does this happen It is because law hates grace -- and law will always rise up to kill grace at every opportunity --- The very first murder that took place on this planet was a religious murder -- Why did Cain kill Abel Because Abel had the witness that he was righteous -- and Cain could not get this by his good works -- so he must kill the man that dares know God -- Cain presents his good works and they are not good enough -- Abel has leaned helplessly on this little lamb and he has received -- So Cain says away with Abel --- Now we have Saul killing off the Christians -- or what was known at time as - The People of the Way -- Now Saul is on his way to the city of Damascus --- Saul would probably ride a donkey -- seeing he was a Pharisee -- and then at other times he would walk and let his servants lead the animal --- At no time would he go near anyone else in his party who were not a Pharisee -- He would not keep company with just a mere Jew -- They would follow so many paces behind him -- We can see from this for most times he would be alone with his thoughts -- and it would take - say seven days to get to Damascus --- SAUL PART 1 Here we have a picture with Saul -- Leading this party with his white head dress -- and his blue robe with tassels fluttering in the breeze -- and he is alone with all his thoughts --- This has gone on now for about six and a half days -- Before this his mind was filled with actions -- of interrogating -- jailing -- and killings with rage -- But now for the last week there has been none of this -- he has just been on his own no one to talk to he is left only with his thoughts he now has time to think At this time he is being pushed into a direction that he is not wanting to go in --- Jesus is going to say to him -- it is hard for you Saul to kick against the goads --- The goad -- what does it mean --- When the farmer is driving his ox in the field and the ox wanted to go in the opposite direction then what the farmer wanted to go -- the farmer would take his long pointed stick and goad the ox --- He would jab the point of the stick into the side of the ox that he did not want it to go --- If the animal was going to the left and the farmer wanted it to go to the right -- he would goad it on the left hand side --- Saul was aware that there was something pushing him into the direction that he did not want to go --- SAUL PART 1 He was saying -- No -- no -- I do not want to think like Stephen -- I want to think temple -- think land --- Each time he said no -- he would get another good hard jab -- and it would hurt --- Up until this moment Saul's whole life centred on the interpretation of the law -- the temple and its service -- this is his system in his approach to God --- He could handle the law he could argue the law -- but here was the intrusion of a person -- It was not system against system -- this he could argue with --- This was system that versed the person -- ALL -- of this person's followers as he had interrogated them had said at the cost of their life -- that this person was alive - after death -- Now for six days this had been playing on his mind --- He was still seeing the face of Stephen -- and what he had said -- Now it is not only Stephen -- it is all these others at the risk of death -- still proclaiming that this person is alive -- It is hard for you to kick against the pricks that go into you --- These people claim that Jesus' death is the final sacrifice for sin -- They claim that their sins are done away with never to be remembered any more --- As for Saul he would struggle and sweat to keep the law not knowing in his heart whether he was right with God-- But they seemed to know -- SAUL PART 1 Saul knew it was hard to kick against the goads that are pushing and pushing --- The thought would come to him That said -- What if they are right -- Right I will not accept it The Messiah risen from the dead -- rubbish -- then he would push it out of his mind --- Then there was Stephen -- he really seemed to be right -- but what really got at him was when Stephen at deaths door -- his face shining -- Said -- Lay not this sin to their charge -- And from the debate with Stephen he knew very well what Stephen meant --- He was praying that the sin that they were committing against him would be laid -- to the charge of Jesus Stephen died forgiving those who stoned him -- Saul says -- he should have died cursing -- but he died forgiving -- Jesus says -- Saul it is hard to kick against the goads -- Then it was they came almost to Damascus -- it was in the middle of the day -- and it was at the cooler time of the year -- SAUL PART 1 If it was the other time of the year you would have had to stop and rest until evening came and then move on So here we have this little ru`nt of a man -- racing on ahead with his robe and head dress fluttering in the breeze - With those following behind cursing him for having to miss their midday rest -- And here we leave them stepping it out in the midday heat until next week --- AMEN.