Saul's Conversion: A Pattern and a Prophecy
1 Timothy 1:15-16; with Acts 9:1-43
INTRODUCTORY WORDS
We marvel, therefore, that what God wrought in Saul's conversion on the Damascus road is as vital a part of prophecy, as what He wrote by Paul in the Epistles.
As we enter upon this message we ask your attention to a most striking Scripture. Let us weigh the words:
"This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.
"Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting" (1 Timothy 1:15-16).
Paul's conversion was a model, a pattern to them who should hereafter believe. Certainly his conversion was not a pattern to the Gentiles, or even to the Jews, saved during this age of grace. We may have a wonderful change when we find the Saviour, but none of us have had the things accompanying our salvation, that befell Saul.
If, with wisdom and positive Scripture, we can truly show that Saul's conversion on the Damascus road is a sample, or pattern, of the future conversion of his own people Israel, then we will feel that we have not overstated the scope of meaning which we believe the Spirit is stressing in 1 Timothy 1:15; 1 Timothy 1:16. Let us give this interesting study our careful thought.
I. SAUL WAS A CHIEF OF SINNERS SO IS ISRAEL
In what sense was Saul the chief of sinners? He was not the chief of sinners morally. He could truthfully boast of his righteousness according to the Law therein he was blameless. Israel, nationally, is known for superiority over the Gentiles in the realms of the obscene, and of the baser lustings of the flesh.
Wherein was Saul so great a sinner? His sin lay in his blasphemy against Christ, and in his persecutions against the Church. What of Israel?
When Isaiah spoke of his sin, he cried, "I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips." When Paul spoke of Israel, he said, "Thou that makest thy boast of the Law, through breaking the Law dishonourest thou God? For the Name of God, is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you."
Israel has been scattered among the nations, and has been dispersed among all countries; wheresoever they have gone they have profaned the Name of the Lord. God will have pity for His Name, and will sanctify it. He will gather the Children of Israel back from every land whither they have gone, and will bring them into their own land. Then will He sprinkle clean water upon them and they shall be clean; He will give them a new heart, and put a right spirit within them: then, will they learn not to blaspheme.
II. SAUL WAS SAVED BY THE SHINING OF GREAT LIGHT ISRAEL WILL THUS BE SAVED
The light that shone upon Saul was supernatural; it was a light that demonstrated that Christ was living. Accompanying the light, was the voice of the risen and seated Lord.
When Israel is saved, there will be a marvelous effulgence of glory, shining upon her. The Spirit speaks by Isaiah this way:
"So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him.
"And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the Lord.
"As for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the Lord; My spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith the Lord, from henceforth and for ever" (Isaiah 59:19-21).
When Christ comes the second time He will come in the glory of His Father, and of the holy angels. His coming will be like the lightning that shineth from one end of the heaven even unto the other. Then, His people will see His glory. The Redeemer will come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob.
III. SAUL HEARD AND SAW JESUS CHRIST SO WILL ISRAEL
1. The first query that came to Saul from Jesus was, "Why persecutest thou Me?" These words were spoken from the sky, and fell upon Saul as he was filled with astonishment. Will Israel suddenly awaken to the fact that she has despised and hated the Christ of God?
The Prophet Zechariah wrote of the days of Israel's national salvation, thus:
"And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn" (Zechariah 12:10).
Think of it Israel is yet to look on the face of the One whom she gave over to die. She shall see the One she pierced. The Book of Revelation, chapter 1, Revelation 1:7, says, "Behold, He cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see Him, and they also which pierced Him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him."
Bless God, the Lord will come, and His people shall see Him, and seeing Him, they shall mourn for Him, Israel shall both hear His voice, and see His face, even as Saul saw and heard.
IV. SAUL CALLED JESUS, LORD, ISRAEL WILL ALSO NAME CHRIST AS LORD
We have now come to the gist of the whole Damascus road scene its culminating glory. Saul had rejected Jesus, because he knew Him only as "Jesus." The bitterest offense that Jesus ever gave against the Jews' religion, was when He announced Himself God, making Himself equal with God. The climax of the sins of the Christians against Judaism, was their continued assertion, and bold declaration that Jesus was both Lord and Christ.
The name Lord summed up all that the Godhead implied. It was a word that could be applied only to Deity. Israel's conception was: "The Lord our God is one Lord." Israel held that God would never give to another, the name of Lord.
Christ accepted that title, and the early saints asserted it. Christ came in the Name of the Lord, He also came bearing the Name, Lord. This was the core of the confession of faith that marked the early Church. They were baptized in the Name of the Lord Jesus, because they confessed that Jesus was Lord, the same as the Father was Lord, and the Spirit was Lord.
Peter was not slow to say at Pentecost, "Therefore let all the House of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye crucified, both Lord and Christ."
It was of this that Christ spoke when He said unto the Pharisees, "What think ye of Christ, whose Son is He?" They said, "The son of David." Christ then asked the question that for ever closed their mouths, "How then doth David in spirit call Him Lord?" "If David then call Him Lord, how is He his son?"
Now we come to the other side of the task, which we set for ourselves in today's discourse. Will Israel at Christ's Second Coming confess Christ as Lord? If they do, their change of heart and of mind will be as miraculous as was that of Saul's. Israel is blinded unto this day to the fact of the Deity of Jesus. Will they ever acclaim Him as Lord and Christ? Will they ever acknowledge Him as God?
V. SAUL KICKED AGAINST THE PRICKS SO WILL ISRAEL
The shining face of Stephen, the relatives of Saul who were in Christ before him, the mighty works of the Lord through the Christians, all of these played a great part in the conversion of Saul. Even during the time that Saul fought the Lord, there was a growing conviction that prodded his soul he felt that he was wrong in fighting God, yet, he pressed on his way of fury with even renewed vigor.
We now want to ask Has there been, and will there be certain goads to prick Israel? Will these goads open up to Israel the stubbornness of her heart against Christ Jesus, the Son of God?
The Holy Spirit in Romans 11:1-36 speaks on this wise: "Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back alway. I say then, Have they stumbled, that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy."
Here, then is a goad that pricks the Jews. They cannot but be moved with the fact that the Gentiles are being blessed in Christ. The One whom the Jews crucified, and the One whom the Jews now deny, is the God of the Gentiles. The Jews are also learning that the Gentiles believe all things that are written in the Prophets. They have seen the hand of God favoring the Christians. They have beheld the joy and the song that moves the lives of the truly regenerated. National Israel is more and more moved to jealousy by these things. They are prodding deeper and deeper into their consciences.
However, the goads that prick, will prod the deeper, as the Church is taken out and up to be with the Lord, and as the miracles, and wonders, and signs of the day of Jacob's trouble are multiplied. Saul of Tarsus had a Stephen to proclaim in fiery faith and miraculous power the story of the Christ of God. Saul was overwhelmed by the testimony of Stephen.
Israel will have a similar testimony in the last days. God will send His two witnesses who will prophesy for forty-two months. These two will work miracles.
All of this will have a deepening effect on Israel. It will fill them with fear. It will prick their hearts like goads prick the oxen.
There is no doubt but that there will be many stirring events which will cause Israel to turn her face toward the Lord all of these things will prepare her heart for the Advent of Christ; they will make her ready to receive the Lord when He comes.
Behold thy God, O Israel,
No God there is, but He,
No Lord, no Saviour, and no God
To whom to bend the knee;
He is Jehovah Jireh,
And Jehovah Shallum, too,
He is Jehovah Shammah,
And Jehovah Tsidkenu.
Behold thy God, O Israel,
He is the First and Last,
Thy God in coming ages, and
Thy God in ages past;
He is thine only Alpha,
Only Omega He,
A just God and a Saviour,
He calls, Look unto Me.
VI. A GREAT CHANGE CAME INTO THE LIFE OF SAUL: A GREAT CHANGE WILL COME TO ISRAEL AT CHRIST'S RETURN
The expression which the Lord used in emphasizing the fact that Saul was saved, was, "Behold, he prayeth." The populace at Damascus themselves bore witness, when they heard Saul speaking in the synagogues, "Is not this he that destroyed them that called on this Name in Jerusalem, and came hither for that intent, that he might bring them bound unto the chief priests?"
No one will hesitate to acclaim the great change that was wrought in Saul of Tarsus by his conversion. But, what of Israel? Yes, Israel shall be changed. Hear the words of God, recorded in Ezekiel:
"For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.
"Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.
"A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
"And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them" (Ezekiel 36:24-27).
In those days God will write His Law in the hearts of His people. She who persecuted, will pray. Hear God through Zechariah, "In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness." In that day the Lord will come. His feet will stand upon the mount of Olives, The saints will come with Him. The Lord will be King of the whole earth. Then, "in that day shall there be upon the bells of the horses, Holiness unto the Lord."
VII. SAUL SAVED WAS SENT TO THE GENTILES ISRAEL SAVED WILL BE SENT TO THE GENTILES
When salvation came to Saul, he cried, "What wilt Thou have me to do," Lord? The Lord replied, "Go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do." When the Lord gave Ananias instruction on this line, He said, of Saul, "For he is a chosen vessel unto Me, to bear My Name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the Children of Israel."
We now come to the vital part of this message Israel in the day of her salvation and restoration is destined, Saul-like, to be God's vessel to bear His Name before the Gentiles and kings.
It will be a great day when a multitude of redeemed Jews preach the Glad Tidings. When a great host of national Israel, saved as Saul was saved, go forth as Saul went forth: go forth, as Sauls, innumerably multiplied, to preach to the Gentiles. When God's "judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness."
In the day of Israel's national forgiveness, the Lord will sing a song unto her: "A vineyard of red wine. I the Lord do keep it; I will water it every moment; lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and day." What else will the Lord do for His chosen people? "He shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root: Israel shall blossom and bud, and fill the face of the world with fruit." In that day they of Assyria who were ready to perish, and the outcasts of the land of Egypt will come to worship the Lord in the holy mount at Jerusalem.
In that day the Lord will say unto Israel, "Ye are My witnesses, saith the Lord, and My servant whom I have chosen." "Ye are My witnesses, saith the Lord, that I am God."
Hear the Lord! "It is a light thing that Thou shouldest be My servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give Thee for a Light to the Gentiles, that Thou mayest be My Salvation unto the ends of the earth."
O Israel, thou shalt arise and shine, when thy Light is come and when the glory of the Lord hath risen upon thee. Then shall "the Gentiles come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising." Men shall bring unto thee the forces of the Gentiles; and, the nation or the kingdom that will not serve thee, shall perish.
In that day "the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory." And "thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God."
Israel shall yet declare God's glory among the Gentiles. All flesh shall "come to worship before Me, saith the Lord."
God will yet send the times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord. The Holy Spirit in Pentecostal power will rest on Israel. Her old men shall dream dreams, her young men shall see visions. Upon her handmaids and servants will God pour forth His Spirit and they shall prophesy. Then it shall come to pass that "whosoever shall call on the Name of the Lord shall be saved."
Let us, as we close our message, not forget the meaning of Jonah recommissioned. The Lord said unto Jonah the second time, "Arise, go unto Nineveh." Then, Nineveh repented. So shall Israel, who was unfaithful to her first call, be sent again, and in her, all nations shall indeed be blessed. God will perform the truth He spoke to Abraham, and swore to the fathers of old.
Whether we hear of forbear, God has spoken and He will perform, as saith Zephaniah.
"Behold, at that time I will undo all that afflict thee: and I will save her that halteth, and gather her that was driven out; and 1 will get them praise and fame in every land where they have been put to shame.
"At that time will I bring you again, even in the time that I gather you: for I will make you a name and a praise among all people of the earth, when I turn back your captivity before your eyes, saith the Lord" (Zephaniah 3:19-20).
It will surely come to pass that every one that is left of the nations of the earth will go up to Jerusalem from year to year to worship the Lord.
Turn thou to God, O Israel,
And stretch thy curtains forth;
Lengthen thy cords, strengthen thy stakes,
Turn homeward from the North;
Thine habitations shall be filled,
As Jews from ev'ry land
Turn back their faces toward their homes,
And toward their fatherland.
No more shalt thou be put to shame,
No more confounded be,
Thou shalt forget thy shame of youth,
From sorrows be set free;
Jehovah, thy Redeemer, shall
Be called the King of earth,
Thou shalt believe the Holy One,
The One who gave thee birth.
In wrath a while He hid His face,
A moment He forsook;
He now returns with mercies, large,
O turn to Him and look:
Sing thou, O barren, cry aloud,
Break forth with joyful song,
Thou shalt bear children unto God,
A people great and strong.
The mountains may depart from Him,
The hills may be removed;
But Israel, His loved, His own,
Shall never more be moved.
O thou, afflicted, tempest tossed,
Thy path with sorrows fraught;
With sins all gone, with lives made clean,
What change thy God hath wrought.