.tif)
CONVERSION IS GOD’S WORK BY
GOD’S GRACE.
ACTS 9:1-22
In
the name + of Jesus.
This is not to say that some are more
willing to be saved than others. Our
default position was set when Adam and Eve rebelled against God. They turned away from God’s word to listen to
another. They chose evil instead of
good. They fled from God and wanted
nothing to do with him. When God
confronted them, they made excuses and tried to dodge accountability. To them, God was the enemy, and they treated
him that way. That is the natural
condition of all people who are born into this world.
Some fight against God violently; others
just don’t care. Either way, those who
are ruled by sin see God as the enemy. They
do not believe God’s word or desire to live according to it. It is like a man who abuses his wife versus
the man who gives his wife zero attention or affection. The wife does not want to be throttled, but
she also desires a husband who is not cold, distant, and disinterested. Either way—whether the man abuses his wife or
shuns her—he fails to love her. So,
while most will not attack Christ and his Church, many have no desire to love,
honor, or serve him. It is still
rebellion. It is the nature of sinners,
and it still infects you whenever you feel that following God’s word too
binding, too difficult, or too costly.
When Jesus’ disciples went out to preach
about Jesus’ sufferings, death, and resurrection, some believed. Conversion was God’s work by God’s
grace. But many did not believe that
word and rejected God’s grace. Even if
they were annoyed by this preaching, most people just ignored it. Then there were others who actively wanted to
stomp out Jesus’ teachings and terminate Jesus’ disciples.
This brings us to one man who was wholly
invested in a violent rejection of Jesus.
It was a Pharisee named Saul.
Saul arrested Christians, had them imprisoned or beaten, and approved of
their execution. And it was not enough
for Saul to hunt down Christians in Jerusalem.
Saul traveled to foreign cities to stomp out the Christian Church. Saul was a fulfillment of Jesus’ warning: “A
time is coming when anyone who murders you will think he is offering a service
to God” (John 16:2). Saul was
convinced he was doing God’s work by hunting down Christians.
“As he went on his way and was
approaching Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice
saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ He asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ He replied, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are
persecuting’” (Acts 9:3-5). Saul was
certain that the one speaking to him from heaven was the Lord. What shocked Saul to his very core was to
discover that Jesus Christ is the Lord.
Can you imagine the guilt he had when he
discovered he had actually been attacking the very God he thought he was
defending? Saul spent three days in Damascus
struggling, fasting, and praying.
Meanwhile, the Lord gave directions to a pastor in Damascus. The Lord called Ananias to go and visit
Saul. “The Lord told him, ‘Get up and
go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas ask for a man from
Tarsus named Saul. In fact, at this very
moment he is praying. In a vision he has
seen a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he can regain
his sight’” (Acts 9:11-12).
Ananias knew about Saul. He knew that Saul had come to Damascus to
arrest and persecute Christians. If
Ananias was a pastor, his name was probably on Saul’s list. You can understand Ananias’ reluctance, even
if it was God who was telling him to go.
But God was not asking Ananias’ permission. The Lord told him, “Go!” So, “Ananias left and entered the
house. Laying his hands on Saul, he
said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, whom you saw on your way here, has sent me
so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 9:17).
Conversion is God’s work by God’s
grace. God converted Saul in heart and
mind and spirit. The zeal which had been
dedicated to destroying Christ’s Church was now redirected into proclaiming
God’s grace and advancing his kingdom.
While Ananias was God’s instrument in baptizing Saul, it was God who
cleansed him of all sin. Baptism is a
washing of rebirth, and it is God who bestowed new life through it. Baptism is a renewal by the Holy Spirit, and
it is God who renewed in Saul a pure heart and a right spirit. Conversion is God’s work by God’s grace. Saul would appear to be the least likely
candidate to be converted and brought into God’s kingdom. Nevertheless, the Lord made a willing one out
of the unwilling.
Saul’s conversion from persecutor of the
faith to preacher of the faith is marvelous and miraculous. We think of it fondly because we know how
Saul continued in the faith. We know how
fervently he preached the Gospel. We
benefit from the letters he wrote. And
we know how much he suffered for the faith, just as Jesus said he would. We might think, “Who would be afraid of
Saul? He was such a faithful
missionary!” Ananias would have thought,
“Who would go near Saul? He is such a
violent persecutor!”
There are people who we find just as
frightening as Saul, and we tend to look at them as our enemies. Why?
Because they are crude, abrasive, and ill-tempered. They are adulterers, addicts, and
abortionists. They are Muslims, Hindus,
and Buddhists. They are loud-mouthed,
foul-mouthed, braggarts, and liars. And
how many of them do you view and say to yourself, “Those are exactly the kinds
of people we want in our church”? We are more likely to say, “I hope those
people stay away. We don’t want them
here,” while at the same time we would claim, “Well, we do pray for their
conversion.” But how will the Lord
convert anyone to the kingdom of God if they do not hear God’s word? And how can anyone discover that God is not
the enemy unless they hear about the Savior who reconciles God and
sinners? God’s grace is meant for all,
not just for those we consider to be polite.
Remember our confession: We are by nature
sinful. That means we, too, were enemies
of Christ. But our Lord was not willing
to leave us as his enemies. The
converted Saul once wrote, “God shows his own love for us in this: While we
were still sinners, Christ died for us.
…If, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of
his Son, it is even more certain that, since we have been reconciled, we will
be saved by his life” (Romans 5:8,10).
Out of his gracious love for mankind, the Father sent his Son into the
world so that we would not be lost to him.
When Jesus was born, God sent his angels to declare peace on earth and
good will toward mankind. That peace was
secured by Jesus who took everything from us that has earned God’s wrath. Jesus put himself under God’s judgment and
was banished as God’s enemy. The
punishment that brought us peace was put upon him. God did not regard us as his enemies. Rather, the Father declares us to be his
beloved children based on Jesus’ willing, sacrificial death for us. This risen Savior appeared to weak and flawed
disciples and declared, “Peace be with you.”
He still declares peace to you.
God is not the enemy. He is your loving Father. He declares his good will to you and carries
it out. All he does for you is for your good. All he says to you is for your good. He has made willing ones out of us who were,
by nature, unwilling to fear, love, and trust in him. “God makes willing people out of the
unwilling and dwells in the willing.” And since the Holy Spirit dwells in you, he
continues to guide your will to despise what is sinful and to love what is
righteous. Even if you find following
God’s word binding, difficult, or costly, you still recognize that it is
good. And God works in you the desire to
bear the cost and to do what is good. It
is a continual conversion from the spirit of a sinner to that of a saint. Conversion is God’s work by God’s grace.
The word of God which comforts, motivates,
and guides you is the only word which will convert hearts. It has been entrusted to you to speak it to
others so that God would graciously work in them. It is the only way sinners can learn that God
is not an enemy to fight against, but a merciful Father to be loved.
The conversion of the Pharisee named Saul
is a remarkable example that anyone can be converted from one who hates Jesus
into one who serves him. You might
think, “Well, if the Lord appeared personally to people, they would convert for
sure.” But that is not true. When Moses performed miraculous signs before
Pharaoh, the only result was that Pharaoh hardened his heart even more against
the Lord. When the Lord appeared in a
thick, black cloud over Mt. Sinai, it did not prevent the people of Israel from
crafting and then worshiping a golden calf right under his nose. When Jesus preached to the religious leaders
of his day, most of them became enraged and plotted his death. Conversion is God’s work by God’s grace, but
God’s grace can be abused and rejected.
Unfortunately, there will always be people
who are unwilling to turn from their sins.
Even though our Lord wants all people to be saved, he will not force
himself on anyone. Those who insist on
being God’s enemy will be left outside God’s kingdom. But since we don’t know who will rejoice in
God’s grace and who will reject it, we proclaim God’s gracious promises to
all. After all, it is not your work to
convert anybody. Our task is to confess
God’s word. Conversion is God’s work by
God’s grace.
By God’s grace, he has worked saving faith in you. By God’s grace, he continues to work in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. By God’s grace, he teaches you to trust that he is good even in days of sorrow and distress. The Lord has turned your heart and mind to him so that you can see that his face does, indeed, shine upon you. His good will rests upon you; and he gives you peace.
In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Due to recurring spam, all comments will now be moderated. Please be patient.