Seven Stories - Saul to Paul – Accuser to Apologist
10/7/12 Ready, Set, GROW!!
Two stories defending the faith. Our faith in Jesus either can be defended or it is worthless.
Mount Rushmore Points to Its Designer/Creator
You are hiking in the Black Hills of South Dakota. As you round a hill, you come upon a sight that stops you in your tracks. In front of you are four giant faces carved into stone. Each head is as tall as a six-story building. The faces are a perfect likeness of four American presidents— Washington, Jefferson, Teddy Roosevelt, and Lincoln.
After taking photos of this magnificent find, what conclusions would you come to concerning its origin? How did these faces appear on this mountainside? What reasonable options are there to explain it?
Perhaps they happened through chance. Over the years, wind and rock slides combined to produce these four faces. But that seems silly, doesn’t it? We know that Mount Rushmore exhibits the three signs of design: forethought, planning, and intention.
Mount Rushmore is the brainchild of sculptor John Gutzon Borglum. Borglum wanted to create a memorial of America’s most revered presidents (intention). Borglum and his four hundred workers devised an ingenious method of removing more than eight hundred million pounds of stone created by the blasting (planning). Before the blasting could begin, designers mapped out the size and shape of each president. The presidents’ noses are twenty feet long and rest above mouths that are eighteen feet wide. Each of the presidents’ eyes is eleven feet across. The carvings are scaled to individuals who would stand 465 feet tall (forethought). After fourteen years of work, the four busts were completed, and Mount Rushmore opened to the public in 1941.
Just as we attribute the design of Mount Rushmore to the work of John Gutzon Borglum, so we ought to attribute the design found in nature and in the human body to the handiwork of God.
J. P. Moreland & Tim Muehlhoff, The God Conversation (InterVarsity Press, 2007)
Nothing we use on a daily basis just happened. The home you live in, the car you drive, the clothes you wear, everything came from an idea, a designer and builder.
Another story.
Buddhism Also Claims to Be the Only Right Path
In his book The Intolerance of Tolerance, D. A. Carson notes that, at least in popular thought, Buddhism is much more open, flexible, and tolerant than Christianity. But Buddhism also has its hard edges of exclusionary doctrines and beliefs. For instance, when the Dalai Lama was asked whether only the Buddha can provide “the ultimate source of refuge,” he replied:
Here, you see, it is necessary to examine what is meant by liberation or salvation. Liberation in which “a mind that understands the sphere of reality annihilates all defilements in the sphere of reality” is a state that only Buddhists can accomplish. This kind of moksha or nirvana is only explained in the Buddhist scriptures, and is achieved only through Buddhist practice.
Quoted in D. A. Carson, The Intolerance of Tolerance (Eerdmans, 2012), pp. 116-117
Our world today emphasizes that everyone is right, as long as they are comfortable with their decisions. Truth and right are what you make it. They mock Christianity for claiming exclusivity in Jesus. Yet, any religion claims that they are the right way.
Jesus did claim that He is the ONLY way to God. He showed the power of God in many miracles. The ultimate miracle was His resurrection. He was publicly executed. The people knew He was dead, killed by experts. He also showed Himself to hundreds of people to prove He came back to life. The historical documents of this are extensive.
Why did I take this time to give two stories defending the faith? Because, as we wrap up this series of Seven Stories, today we are going to talk about the man known as the Apostle Paul. Paul was a powerful defender of the faith.
Let me share a term with you so you can grasp it, if you are not yet familiar with it. The term is Apologist. This is not someone who apologizes for things. This is a defender of the faith.
Dictionary-type definitions:
a person who offers an argument in defense of something
a person who makes a defense in speech or writing of a belief, idea, etc.
one of the authors of the early Christian apologies in defense of the faith.
Apologetics:
the branch of theology concerned with the defense or proof of Christianity.
There are modern apologists who study and then write or speak, giving solid reasons for belief in Jesus.
Let’s look at Paul’s life and see where God took him from and how He used him.
The salvation and calling of Saul, who later changed his name to Paul. God called him to be an Apostle to the Gentiles.
Acts 9:1-22 NIV
1 Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. 3 As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”
5 “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. 6 “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
7 The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. 8 Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. 9 For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.
10 In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!” “Yes, Lord,” he answered.
11 The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. 12 In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.”
13 “Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem. 14 And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.”
15 But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. 16 I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”
17 Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord--Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here--has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, 19 and after taking some food, he regained his strength. Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus.
20 At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. 21 All those who heard him were astonished and asked, “Isn’t he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name? And hasn’t he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?” 22 Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Christ. Paul wrote this letter to the church in Philippi to help them understand what God was doing in and through him as he was in prison for preaching the gospel. Yes, he was a prisoner, but God knew what He was doing and didn’t make a mistake.
Philippians 1:12-26 NIV
12 Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. 13 As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. 14 Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly.
15 It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. 16 The latter do so in love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17 The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. 18 But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice,
19 for I know that through your prayers and the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance. 20 I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. 21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
Living Bible: For to me, living means opportunities for Christ, and dying – well, that better yet!
22 If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! 23 I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; 24 but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. 25 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, 26 so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me.
Under the anointing of the Holy Spirit, Paul fearlessly proclaimed Jesus as Lord and Savior. He didn’t compromise, but learned how to give the truth without being afraid someone may prove him wrong.
Saul to Paul – Accuser to Apologist
□ There is no person who God cannot reach if they will listen to God’s call and submit to HIM.
□ There is no limit to what God can do through you if you are willing to pay the price.
□ The power of God will overcome lies and resistance to impact lives through a submitted believer.
□ No compromise on truth, for truth stands.
Before we talk about the life application, I have a question for you. If you were to close out this message today, what challenge would you give? What is the key point you think we should take home, learning from the life of Paul?
LIFE APPLICATION: The Next Step
Ready, Set, GROW!
What are the key points of this message?
How can we apply this message?
