Rev. David Holwick  ZB
First Baptist Church
Ledgewood, New Jersey
August 22, 1993
                                                           Acts 9:1-17
                         
                           SEEING THE LIGHT


  I. Brother, are you saved?
      A. The possibility of conversion is often ridiculed.
          1) Dennis Miller stand-up routine that ridicules conversion.
              a) Why do they have to end up in the gutter first?
              b) Even Jesus wouldn't want us.
          2) Christians also get cynical about change/conversion.

      B. Concept of conversion is bedrock of Biblical Christianity.
          1) Jesus himself says that if a person doesn't change, they
                will never see the Kingdom of heaven.

      C. Paul's conversion was the pivotal point in his life.
          1) Acts gives it three times, with slight variations.   9,22,26
          2) Must mean it is very important to him.

 II. What brought Paul to his knees?
      A. Older commentators assumed he was in spiritual distress.
          1) Romans 7 and inner struggle.
          2) Mention of "goads" in Acts 26:14.
          3) Key Christians like Augustine and Luther had similar
                experiences.
              a) Intense moral torment.  (Augustine and lust)
              b) Intellectual doubts.    (Augustine)

      B. Paul was content with his previous life.
          1) He felt secure in his relationship with God.
              a) Perfect in law-keeping.                         Phil 3:6
              b) Convinced of the rightness of persecuting Christians.
          2) Convinced from Bible that God would not hang himself on
                a tree, bringing down a curse.       Deut 21:23, Gal 3:13
          3) Romans 7 describes his Christian experience, not just as a
                Jew.

      C. Paul converted because Jesus revealed himself to him.
          1) "Seeing the light" was not instantaneous for Paul.
              a) The vision and message shook him up.
                  1> (Discrepancies:  others saw light, but not Jesus;
                       others heard sound, but not voice.)
                  2> He was not persecuting Christians, but God.
              b) Took several days to digest, as he rethought his life.

          2) Sight, baptism and reception of Spirit come later.
              a) Note that Ananias challenges him to wash his sins away
                    and call on Lord.                          Acts 22:16
              b) Reception of Spirit is sign of salvation.

III. The essence of Christian conversion.
      A. Sin must be seen as sin.
          1) Like Paul, we need to see that we are wrong in our actions.
          2) More than just imperfect, we are cut off from God.   Col 1:21
          3) Modern society rebels against this.

      B. Jesus is the only one who can change us.
          1) Jesus takes the initiative and seeks us, even while we are
                sinners.                              Rom 5:8, 1 Tim 1:15
          2) As Paul found in his vision, Jesus is God, and has the power
                to change us.

      C. Faith is our response to God's action.
          1) God does not change us against our will.
          2) We must be willing to accept and seek him.
          3) Once we are saved, our faith determines how much God can
                mold us.

      D. Moral change must follow.
          1) For some, this is instantaneous.
          2) For others, it is slow.
          3) For everyone, it is imperfect.

         One of the most famous examples of powerful conversions comes
            from the life of John Newton.
         He was born in 1725.
         Newton's mother died when he was six years old, and at 11 he
            began life as a seaman.
         His early years were one continuous round of rebellion and sin.
         For a while he worked on the West African coast collecting slaves
            for sale to visiting traders.
         Eventually Newton became a captain of his own slave ship.
         The capturing, selling and transporting of black slaves to the
            plantations in the West Indies and America was a cruel and
               vicious way of life.

         On March 10, 1748, he was returning to England from Africa on a
            particularly stormy voyage.
         Everyone thought the ship would be lost, and Newton began reading
            the classic Christian devotional by Thomas a Kempis,
               "Imitation of Christ."
         The message of the book and the frightening experience at sea
            were used by the Holy Spirit to bring Newton to accept Christ
               as his Savior.
         For the next several years he continued working as a slave ship
            captain.
         He tried to justify his work by seeking to improve conditions as
            much as possible.
         He even held worship services for the hardened crew each Sunday.

         Eventually, however, he felt convicted of the inhuman aspects of
            this work and led a strong crusade against slavery.
         Newton became a minister and preached powerfully about Jesus.
         He also wrote one of the most-loved hymns of all time, "Amazing
            Grace."
         At the age of 82 just before he died he proclaimed,
            "My memory is nearly gone, but I remember two things:
         That I am a great sinner, and that Christ is a great Savior!"

         On his tombstone he had this statement engraved:
         John Newton, ..., once an infidel and Libertine, a servant of
            slavers in Africa, was, by the rich mercy of our Lord and Savior
               Jesus Christ, preserved, restored, pardoned, and appointed
                  to preach the Faith he had long labored to destroy."
                                                                    #2530

 IV. Genuine conversion will cause tension.
      A. Relationships can become strained.
          1) Others don't want to change.
          2) They feel your change is a rebuke of them.

             Two years ago the newspaper USA Today did a special report
                on religion and how it was affecting baseball.
             Some managers are uncomfortable with religious faith.
             Baseball lore has it that crusty Baltimore Orioles manager
                Earl Weaver once asked outfielder Pat Kelly to curtail
                    the team's Bible study.
             "Don't you want me to walk with the Lord?" asked Kelly.
               Weaver replied:  "I'd rather you walk with the bases loaded."

             Teammates also raise barriers.
             Gary Gaetti was the leader of the Minnesota Twins' drive to
                a World Series title in 1987 and became saved in 1988.
             His close friendship with Twins first baseman Kent Hrbek
                became strained.
             His says his performance may have been affected some.
             "You're so afraid of that old nature that you had, that you
                want to put it totally down.
             It's not like you've lost your aggressiveness.
             But you're totally submitted to Jesus, and you're playing by
                a different set of rules."

             Darryl Strawberry said at the time, "People have criticized
                me, saying I'm not hitting because of my religion.
             But they don't realize the importance of a total
                transformation of a person's life.
             Baseball was everything.  Now it's only a part of [my] life."
             This is a good thing, because Strawberry's baseball record
                has been poor lately.
                                                                    #1629

      B. Your own life may be thrown into turmoil.
          1) Paul was promised suffering, not blessings.             9:16
          2) Many new converts are distressed when troubles start filling
                their lives.  It is to be expected.

  V. When Jesus calls us, he calls us to service.
      A. Paul realized he had a task to do.                   9:15; 26:16-18
          1) His main mission became telling others about Jesus.
          2) Especially Gentiles.
      B. When we truly convert, we become God's instruments.


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