WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:09.540 A number of months ago, we looked in the mornings at the opening nine, well, eight and a bit chapters of Acts. 00:00:09.540 --> 00:00:20.420 So we're going to pick up for the next little while in the evening on the continuing story of Jesus building his church through the apostles. 00:00:20.420 --> 00:00:28.539 But just to catch us up, if we were to summarize the first nine chapters, just in three words, 00:00:28.539 --> 00:00:31.820 we could maybe talk about the Spirit. 00:00:31.980 --> 00:00:37.700 Because when you look at those early chapters, you see the Spirit on every page, in every important moment, 00:00:37.780 --> 00:00:40.700 the Spirit comes just like Jesus promised. 00:00:41.019 --> 00:00:44.840 And he comes and he empowers the witnesses, the disciples. 00:00:45.079 --> 00:00:49.840 He enables them to speak of Jesus, to remember the things that Jesus taught. 00:00:50.560 --> 00:00:53.420 It's the Spirit that causes the gospel to spread. 00:00:53.420 --> 00:00:59.900 It's the Spirit that comes to people's hearts and points people to Jesus as Lord. 00:01:00.020 --> 00:01:06.799 And so we see as the church begins to spread, the Spirit is central to that as promised by Jesus. 00:01:07.700 --> 00:01:08.299 So there's Spirit. 00:01:08.420 --> 00:01:15.980 There's also opposition that you can trace really clearly through the opening chapters of Acts. 00:01:15.980 --> 00:01:27.760 It's really soon after them receiving the Spirit and preaching at Pentecost that they are beginning to be imprisoned for their faith by the Jewish authorities. 00:01:28.040 --> 00:01:33.300 Stephen becomes the first martyr, the deacon of the church, becomes the first martyr of the church. 00:01:33.299 --> 00:01:44.120 And what we see is that persecution and opposition is what ultimately pushes the church out beyond Jerusalem to Samaria and to the ends of the earth, 00:01:44.200 --> 00:01:47.959 which again is what Jesus said was to happen. 00:01:48.799 --> 00:01:52.379 So there's the Spirit, there's the opposition, but also, we've said this already, there's kingdom. 00:01:52.640 --> 00:01:54.060 There's kingdom growth. 00:01:54.479 --> 00:02:02.420 Whenever Jesus as Savior is preached, people are responding that the Spirit is active in drawing people to Jesus as Lord. 00:02:02.420 --> 00:02:06.200 We saw that at Pentecost where 3,000 come to faith in one day. 00:02:06.719 --> 00:02:11.580 We see the kingdom expanding beyond the borders of Israel. 00:02:11.719 --> 00:02:17.080 And one of the things that the church in Jerusalem has to do is to figure out how they're going to deal with this new reality. 00:02:17.080 --> 00:02:20.719 And we'll see that again in the coming weeks. 00:02:21.680 --> 00:02:27.120 And then we get to chapter 9 and Saul's conversion, which is really a huge moment in the book of Acts, 00:02:27.120 --> 00:02:32.780 because whereas I guess Peter was taking center stage, but with the conversion of Saul, 00:02:32.860 --> 00:02:42.099 he becomes central, as Roddy was praying, to the spread of the church, particularly to the non-Jewish world. 00:02:43.200 --> 00:02:46.900 But we saw the last time we were looking at it, the first half of chapter 9, 00:02:46.939 --> 00:02:52.879 he's a very surprising, to put it mildly, surprising convert to the Jewish faith, 00:02:52.879 --> 00:02:59.879 who becomes this spokesman of the church that he had previously been persecuting. 00:03:00.740 --> 00:03:07.240 So Saul's story becomes evidence of the powerful grace of God that he's trying to communicate, 00:03:07.460 --> 00:03:12.659 that his words and his transformed life, they match. 00:03:13.139 --> 00:03:16.439 We're actually going to see that next week in the story of Jonah. 00:03:16.439 --> 00:03:26.060 Paul would write to Timothy in 1 Timothy that God was pleased to show mercy to him as the chief of sinners. 00:03:26.539 --> 00:03:32.819 And he really did believe that was true of him because he'd been persecuting the church of Jesus Christ. 00:03:32.939 --> 00:03:37.099 But now his life and message becomes hope for the world. 00:03:38.060 --> 00:03:42.139 And so how does life change for him as a new Christian? 00:03:42.139 --> 00:03:46.439 It is something that's really interesting to see the kind of transformation that takes place. 00:03:46.500 --> 00:03:53.439 And that's where we find ourselves in Acts chapter 9, verse 20 to 31. 00:03:53.659 --> 00:03:58.699 We see a couple of things that change in Saul's life. 00:03:59.279 --> 00:04:05.939 Things that are true for any believer, new believer, mature Christian, things that are true for us. 00:04:05.939 --> 00:04:10.659 That Saul all of a sudden is now living by a new message. 00:04:11.439 --> 00:04:16.439 And he also lives with and in a new community. 00:04:17.000 --> 00:04:18.920 The community of the church. 00:04:19.019 --> 00:04:21.259 So we're going to think about those two things briefly together. 00:04:21.339 --> 00:04:26.740 First of all, let's think about this new message that Saul begins to communicate. 00:04:26.740 --> 00:04:36.540 So until a few days prior to what we've just read, Saul's life was controlled by hating Jesus, hating Jesus' church. 00:04:37.040 --> 00:04:42.139 Determined to destroy the church of Jesus while it was still young before it had the chance to get going. 00:04:42.220 --> 00:04:47.300 But now, in the first part of Acts chapter 9, he meets with the risen Lord Jesus. 00:04:47.780 --> 00:04:52.199 He has ascended to heaven and then come to him, revealed himself in all his glory. 00:04:52.199 --> 00:04:57.279 And Saul straight away acknowledges, recognizes that Jesus is Lord. 00:04:57.740 --> 00:05:01.500 And we see how that changes the way he communicates with the world. 00:05:01.599 --> 00:05:05.219 So in verse 20 of Acts chapter 9, it says, 00:05:05.500 --> 00:05:11.439 At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. 00:05:12.860 --> 00:05:16.459 Now, this is a huge statement for anyone to make. 00:05:17.120 --> 00:05:20.000 It's a huge statement for a Jewish person to make. 00:05:20.000 --> 00:05:28.959 He would have grown up every day reciting this reality that the Lord is one, that there's only one God. 00:05:29.540 --> 00:05:34.339 And now he worships Jesus as God. 00:05:35.339 --> 00:05:40.939 And it's even more shocking that Saul is instantly preaching Jesus as the Son of God. 00:05:41.000 --> 00:05:46.180 Because before meeting Jesus for himself, he would have called Jesus a blasphemer. 00:05:46.180 --> 00:05:51.199 Someone who was making false claims about himself. 00:05:51.840 --> 00:05:55.180 When Jesus claimed to be equal with God, when he claimed to be Savior, 00:05:56.939 --> 00:06:01.680 Saul would have considered him to be dishonoring God by making those kinds of claims. 00:06:02.780 --> 00:06:05.720 He would have called Jesus a liar. 00:06:05.720 --> 00:06:11.720 When he came claiming to be the only way to God and the Savior of the world. 00:06:11.800 --> 00:06:18.560 In fact, when Saul thought about the cross, he would have seen Jesus rightly dying under God's curse. 00:06:18.880 --> 00:06:21.660 Because of the claims that he was making about himself. 00:06:22.200 --> 00:06:27.720 He would call the cross justice against a fake, against a dangerous pretender, 00:06:27.720 --> 00:06:31.860 leading people away from the true faith, from the Jewish faith. 00:06:33.100 --> 00:06:40.720 But then once Jesus reveals himself, once he comes face to face with Jesus, everything changes. 00:06:40.720 --> 00:06:47.960 It made me think of a quote that's fairly famous from C.S. Lewis. 00:06:48.080 --> 00:06:50.620 As he wrote about the identity of Jesus. 00:06:51.440 --> 00:06:51.960 He said, 00:06:52.020 --> 00:06:58.520 A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. 00:06:59.360 --> 00:07:04.060 He would either be a lunatic on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg. 00:07:04.300 --> 00:07:06.680 Or else he would be the devil of hell. 00:07:07.320 --> 00:07:09.100 You must make your choice. 00:07:09.100 --> 00:07:13.080 Yes, either this man was and is the son of God. 00:07:13.620 --> 00:07:16.820 Or else a madman or something worse. 00:07:17.720 --> 00:07:21.340 Now if we'd have spoken to Saul before meeting Jesus on the Damascus road, 00:07:21.400 --> 00:07:22.780 he would have agreed with C.S. Lewis. 00:07:23.220 --> 00:07:25.320 Saying, yes, Jesus is a liar. 00:07:25.760 --> 00:07:26.840 Jesus is deluded. 00:07:27.220 --> 00:07:29.340 And that's why he hated Jesus at first. 00:07:30.640 --> 00:07:34.320 But that's also why after meeting Jesus on the Damascus road, 00:07:34.540 --> 00:07:36.360 he worships him as the son of God. 00:07:36.360 --> 00:07:39.160 He recognizes this isn't someone you can be neutral to. 00:07:39.939 --> 00:07:43.840 He's either the most dangerous man who ever lived or the most glorious. 00:07:44.840 --> 00:07:48.040 And so now he worships Jesus as son of God. 00:07:48.040 --> 00:07:52.460 Because now he can see the cross of Jesus as it really is. 00:07:53.199 --> 00:07:57.020 So he can look at it and say, yes, Jesus dies under God's curse. 00:07:57.019 --> 00:07:59.519 But it's not because he has done anything wrong. 00:07:59.839 --> 00:08:03.939 That he is going there as a substitute in love for his people. 00:08:04.060 --> 00:08:07.000 Taking our sin, our punishment. 00:08:07.759 --> 00:08:08.879 Facing the curse. 00:08:09.039 --> 00:08:10.659 Absorbing the wrath of God. 00:08:10.819 --> 00:08:14.039 So that we might be free of that. 00:08:14.899 --> 00:08:17.159 That he faces the wrath of God. 00:08:17.240 --> 00:08:20.279 The penalty for sin on our behalf. 00:08:20.279 --> 00:08:22.979 In an act of great love. 00:08:23.259 --> 00:08:24.699 As our substitute. 00:08:24.919 --> 00:08:29.519 That he is the Lamb of God who was slain before the foundation of the world. 00:08:30.159 --> 00:08:35.980 The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, as John described him. 00:08:37.439 --> 00:08:42.939 So at once, Saul announces that Jesus is the son of God. 00:08:42.940 --> 00:08:44.820 He's got this new message. 00:08:44.820 --> 00:08:50.680 And further, verse 22, it says, 00:08:51.300 --> 00:08:58.700 Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Christ. 00:08:59.300 --> 00:09:02.500 Proving that Jesus is God's anointed one. 00:09:02.640 --> 00:09:08.340 God's promised one who was chosen for the task of saving his people from their sin. 00:09:08.340 --> 00:09:14.300 So how would Saul go about proving Jesus is the Christ? 00:09:15.480 --> 00:09:20.700 Well, powerfully, he can now speak as an eyewitness of the resurrection. 00:09:21.620 --> 00:09:30.560 In fact, nothing other than meeting the risen Lord Jesus would have persuaded him that what Jesus claimed and who Jesus was is true. 00:09:30.559 --> 00:09:39.379 But now he can speak as an eyewitness that Jesus really did win a victory over the devil and sin and death on behalf of his people. 00:09:40.419 --> 00:09:45.559 That he really was risen from the dead on the third day, vindicated by God. 00:09:47.000 --> 00:09:51.339 Now in all the power and glory that he had from all eternity. 00:09:51.959 --> 00:09:54.199 So he can speak as an eyewitness. 00:09:54.939 --> 00:09:56.719 And that's a really powerful thing. 00:09:56.720 --> 00:10:03.060 But he would also, and we see this as Acts goes on and in his letters, 00:10:03.220 --> 00:10:12.660 that he understands that the Old Testament prophecies speaking of the Christ are fulfilled in Jesus. 00:10:12.759 --> 00:10:16.740 So he'd go back to the Old Testament scriptures, 00:10:17.379 --> 00:10:22.740 pointing out how what was promised and predicted there is fulfilled in Jesus. 00:10:22.740 --> 00:10:28.519 So perhaps most famously in Isaiah 53, 00:10:29.080 --> 00:10:32.700 which speaks of the lamb who was led to the slaughter. 00:10:34.560 --> 00:10:38.779 The one who it was the Lord's will to crush. 00:10:38.899 --> 00:10:42.139 The one who would see the light of life and be satisfied. 00:10:42.399 --> 00:10:45.519 The one through whose wounds we are healed. 00:10:47.440 --> 00:10:48.299 Where it says, 00:10:48.299 --> 00:10:50.240 We all like sheep have gone astray. 00:10:50.359 --> 00:10:55.240 Each of us has turned to his own way and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. 00:10:55.719 --> 00:11:01.699 Saul and the apostles now read these messages and they understand they're speaking to us of Jesus. 00:11:01.859 --> 00:11:07.079 And that's how they would then communicate to both Jews and Gentiles, 00:11:07.219 --> 00:11:10.000 proving that Jesus is the Christ. 00:11:10.000 --> 00:11:17.200 So Saul and the church lives by this gospel message. 00:11:19.200 --> 00:11:24.440 Understanding that Jesus has died for his people. 00:11:25.860 --> 00:11:28.379 That as we remember this evening, 00:11:28.519 --> 00:11:34.379 the body and blood of Jesus is given so that we might know forgiveness. 00:11:34.379 --> 00:11:38.840 That we might enjoy acceptance by God, 00:11:38.980 --> 00:11:41.200 access to God, 00:11:41.659 --> 00:11:44.139 eternal life with God. 00:11:45.559 --> 00:11:46.500 So for Saul, 00:11:46.559 --> 00:11:48.860 there was no other message now to live by. 00:11:49.439 --> 00:11:51.139 For us as a Christian church, 00:11:51.220 --> 00:11:54.240 there ought to be no other message for us to live by 00:11:54.240 --> 00:11:59.039 other than recognizing that Jesus is the Son of God 00:11:59.039 --> 00:12:01.159 and that he is God's Christ, 00:12:01.339 --> 00:12:02.120 God's Savior, 00:12:02.579 --> 00:12:05.339 who came into the world to save us. 00:12:06.679 --> 00:12:09.339 So Saul now lives by a new message, 00:12:09.679 --> 00:12:14.139 but he also lives as part of a new community. 00:12:16.199 --> 00:12:18.379 I remember a number of years ago 00:12:18.379 --> 00:12:25.079 watching a documentary about a black Christian author in the States. 00:12:25.679 --> 00:12:26.919 He was such an interesting guy 00:12:26.919 --> 00:12:28.799 because he made it his life's mission, 00:12:28.919 --> 00:12:29.219 essentially, 00:12:29.439 --> 00:12:33.599 to deliberately seek out members of the KKK 00:12:33.599 --> 00:12:36.759 and other white supremacist groups 00:12:36.759 --> 00:12:39.219 in order to try and befriend them, 00:12:39.779 --> 00:12:41.740 to talk to them about their background, 00:12:41.959 --> 00:12:44.099 about the reason behind their hate. 00:12:44.620 --> 00:12:46.799 And it was fascinating to see how many people, 00:12:47.439 --> 00:12:49.719 once they'd had a conversation with this guy, 00:12:50.199 --> 00:12:52.299 would leave those orders, 00:12:52.299 --> 00:12:56.360 would change the way that they thought about life 00:12:56.360 --> 00:12:57.600 and about race. 00:12:58.259 --> 00:12:58.560 But, you know, 00:12:58.600 --> 00:13:00.899 when you think about unlikely friendships, 00:13:01.519 --> 00:13:04.980 a black man and a white supremacist 00:13:04.980 --> 00:13:06.340 seems kind of unlikely. 00:13:07.360 --> 00:13:08.639 But that's no less true 00:13:08.639 --> 00:13:12.440 when it comes to thinking about Saul and the church. 00:13:12.960 --> 00:13:15.480 It seems so unlikely that these two groups 00:13:15.480 --> 00:13:16.620 would ever come together, 00:13:16.960 --> 00:13:19.240 except for Saul trying to arrest, 00:13:19.379 --> 00:13:21.200 imprison, and persecute. 00:13:21.200 --> 00:13:23.320 But instantly, 00:13:23.800 --> 00:13:26.320 as he comes to faith in the Lord Jesus, 00:13:26.320 --> 00:13:28.420 he changes who he would call family. 00:13:30.520 --> 00:13:33.780 So we see at the very beginning of our reading, 00:13:34.720 --> 00:13:36.160 the second part of verse 19, 00:13:36.300 --> 00:13:40.220 Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus. 00:13:40.600 --> 00:13:43.820 The very same people that he'd come to arrest, 00:13:44.759 --> 00:13:46.560 that he's now spending time with them. 00:13:46.559 --> 00:13:51.139 And that tells us something really powerful about the gospel, 00:13:51.279 --> 00:13:52.979 the gospel that brings peace, 00:13:53.119 --> 00:13:55.099 the gospel that speaks of reconciliation, 00:13:55.459 --> 00:13:58.919 that not only does it mean reconciliation with God, 00:13:58.959 --> 00:14:01.759 because Jesus has dealt with that barrier of sin, 00:14:02.699 --> 00:14:04.799 but it also makes it possible for us 00:14:04.799 --> 00:14:06.939 to call people brothers and sisters 00:14:06.939 --> 00:14:09.619 who are very different to us, 00:14:09.719 --> 00:14:13.159 people who perhaps culturally would be considered enemies. 00:14:13.159 --> 00:14:14.879 Certainly for Saul, 00:14:15.279 --> 00:14:17.779 these Christians would have been enemies 00:14:17.779 --> 00:14:21.000 on a religious basis because of their faith. 00:14:21.079 --> 00:14:23.459 But now, through faith in Jesus, 00:14:23.600 --> 00:14:26.299 they are reconciled and they're friends. 00:14:27.980 --> 00:14:31.959 And we see how this impacts on the wider community 00:14:31.959 --> 00:14:33.179 in verse 21. 00:14:34.339 --> 00:14:36.500 All those who heard him were astonished 00:14:36.500 --> 00:14:37.679 and asked, 00:14:37.799 --> 00:14:39.659 isn't this the man who caused havoc 00:14:39.659 --> 00:14:42.459 in Jerusalem among those who call on his name? 00:14:43.180 --> 00:14:45.680 And hasn't he come here to take them as prisoners 00:14:45.680 --> 00:14:48.100 to the chief priests? 00:14:49.220 --> 00:14:53.040 And so there's that initial shock at the change, 00:14:53.139 --> 00:14:56.940 but that very quickly becomes hostility. 00:14:58.100 --> 00:15:00.440 So just as Saul had tried to persecute 00:15:00.440 --> 00:15:01.400 and destroy the church, 00:15:01.460 --> 00:15:04.160 now he becomes a target for killing. 00:15:04.160 --> 00:15:06.920 Verses 23 to 25, 00:15:06.919 --> 00:15:10.439 we discover some Jews in Damascus 00:15:10.439 --> 00:15:14.039 who conspire to kill Saul. 00:15:14.319 --> 00:15:17.860 Former friends now label Saul an enemy, 00:15:18.759 --> 00:15:20.819 that he had previously taken that tough stance 00:15:20.819 --> 00:15:21.500 on Christianity, 00:15:21.639 --> 00:15:24.459 and now he finds himself a wanted man 00:15:24.459 --> 00:15:28.559 having to escape by being lowered in a basket. 00:15:28.559 --> 00:15:34.939 And the same thing we see in verses 29 and 30, 00:15:34.939 --> 00:15:39.519 as he talks and debates with Grecian Jews. 00:15:39.779 --> 00:15:41.459 Again, they try to kill him 00:15:41.459 --> 00:15:44.959 and he has to be sent away to safety. 00:15:47.379 --> 00:15:50.019 And we remember that Jesus predicted this would happen. 00:15:50.139 --> 00:15:51.259 He said this to his disciples. 00:15:51.259 --> 00:15:53.559 Well, listen, if they hated me, 00:15:54.039 --> 00:15:56.059 then inevitably they will hate you too. 00:15:56.220 --> 00:15:59.700 And Saul very early discovers this, 00:15:59.740 --> 00:16:01.319 this fact that our faith 00:16:01.319 --> 00:16:05.539 will certainly cause some people to oppose us 00:16:05.539 --> 00:16:08.480 or to marginalize us. 00:16:08.559 --> 00:16:11.899 And that's part of the cost of discipleship, 00:16:12.860 --> 00:16:15.240 recognizing that it will not be 00:16:15.240 --> 00:16:16.799 the route to popularity 00:16:16.799 --> 00:16:20.879 and necessarily an easy progression through life. 00:16:21.719 --> 00:16:23.479 So into this kind of situation 00:16:23.479 --> 00:16:26.599 where his former friends have isolated, 00:16:26.759 --> 00:16:28.099 hated, wanted to kill him, 00:16:28.359 --> 00:16:29.620 where does Saul go? 00:16:30.059 --> 00:16:33.120 To find his sense of belonging and community. 00:16:33.659 --> 00:16:35.279 And what we see again and again 00:16:35.279 --> 00:16:37.199 is that he goes to seek out 00:16:37.199 --> 00:16:39.479 brothers and sisters in the church. 00:16:40.019 --> 00:16:41.699 So there he is in Damascus, 00:16:42.039 --> 00:16:42.799 in the church. 00:16:42.859 --> 00:16:45.699 When he comes to Jerusalem in verse 26, 00:16:45.700 --> 00:16:48.320 he wants to join the disciples. 00:16:49.800 --> 00:16:52.040 But then we see that there is suspicion 00:16:52.040 --> 00:16:53.360 in Jerusalem. 00:16:53.560 --> 00:16:55.140 They are more than aware 00:16:55.140 --> 00:16:58.220 of what he has been doing. 00:16:58.340 --> 00:17:00.700 And so there is a suspicion, 00:17:01.460 --> 00:17:02.800 perhaps wondering if he's 00:17:02.800 --> 00:17:04.580 on some kind of undercover mission 00:17:04.580 --> 00:17:06.940 to destroy the church from the inside. 00:17:07.080 --> 00:17:10.000 And so they're reluctant to welcome him 00:17:10.000 --> 00:17:12.640 until Barnabas steps in. 00:17:12.640 --> 00:17:16.220 Barnabas, whose real name is Joseph. 00:17:16.420 --> 00:17:17.600 Barnabas is his nickname, 00:17:17.700 --> 00:17:19.600 which means son of encouragement. 00:17:20.020 --> 00:17:22.980 And here we see him encouraging unity. 00:17:23.860 --> 00:17:25.759 Because in verse 27, it says, 00:17:25.900 --> 00:17:28.920 Barnabas took him and brought him 00:17:28.920 --> 00:17:29.580 to the apostles. 00:17:30.400 --> 00:17:32.259 He told them how Saul in his journey 00:17:32.259 --> 00:17:33.820 had seen the Lord 00:17:33.820 --> 00:17:36.040 and that the Lord had spoken to him 00:17:36.040 --> 00:17:37.560 and how in Damascus, 00:17:37.620 --> 00:17:38.840 he preached fearlessly 00:17:38.839 --> 00:17:41.259 in the name of Jesus. 00:17:42.399 --> 00:17:43.579 Barnabas doesn't leave him 00:17:43.579 --> 00:17:44.519 to get on with it. 00:17:45.199 --> 00:17:46.519 He stands with Saul. 00:17:46.619 --> 00:17:48.399 He vouches for Saul. 00:17:48.500 --> 00:17:49.959 He took him to the disciples 00:17:49.959 --> 00:17:51.819 and he spoke of the change 00:17:51.819 --> 00:17:52.519 that had happened. 00:17:53.059 --> 00:17:54.359 He spoke of the preaching 00:17:54.359 --> 00:17:55.679 that Saul had been doing 00:17:55.679 --> 00:17:56.899 in Damascus. 00:17:57.139 --> 00:17:58.500 Evidence of God's grace 00:17:58.500 --> 00:17:59.379 at work in his life. 00:17:59.539 --> 00:18:02.119 Evidence of why they should accept him 00:18:02.119 --> 00:18:03.899 despite their fear. 00:18:05.240 --> 00:18:06.839 Barnabas wants to preserve 00:18:06.839 --> 00:18:09.059 the unity of the church. 00:18:09.779 --> 00:18:11.779 He recognizes that the power 00:18:11.779 --> 00:18:13.199 of this reality 00:18:13.199 --> 00:18:15.139 of former enemies 00:18:15.139 --> 00:18:17.299 being able to function together 00:18:17.299 --> 00:18:18.259 in the same church, 00:18:18.399 --> 00:18:20.000 calling Jesus Lord, 00:18:20.159 --> 00:18:23.339 calling on the same Father in heaven. 00:18:24.339 --> 00:18:26.199 So that welcoming Saul 00:18:26.199 --> 00:18:28.459 into the community of believers 00:18:28.459 --> 00:18:29.159 there in Jerusalem 00:18:29.159 --> 00:18:30.179 becomes an opportunity 00:18:30.179 --> 00:18:31.339 for people to see 00:18:31.339 --> 00:18:32.659 the power of the gospel. 00:18:33.720 --> 00:18:35.039 It's always a wonderful thing 00:18:35.039 --> 00:18:36.420 to see churches 00:18:36.420 --> 00:18:37.639 that are diverse 00:18:37.639 --> 00:18:38.700 and are able to welcome 00:18:38.700 --> 00:18:39.680 all kinds of people. 00:18:39.779 --> 00:18:41.819 It speaks to the power 00:18:41.819 --> 00:18:42.619 of the gospel 00:18:42.619 --> 00:18:44.420 and here it speaks 00:18:44.420 --> 00:18:46.379 to enemies becoming friends 00:18:46.379 --> 00:18:48.159 through meeting Jesus. 00:18:49.819 --> 00:18:50.740 But we're reminded 00:18:50.740 --> 00:18:52.759 in the example of Saul 00:18:52.759 --> 00:18:53.720 that as Christians 00:18:53.720 --> 00:18:55.700 we need other Christians. 00:18:55.819 --> 00:18:56.579 He understood that 00:18:56.579 --> 00:18:57.779 almost instinctively 00:18:57.779 --> 00:19:00.299 that he goes to be 00:19:00.299 --> 00:19:02.500 where God's people are. 00:19:02.500 --> 00:19:04.779 And we need that. 00:19:05.220 --> 00:19:06.160 We need one another 00:19:06.160 --> 00:19:07.319 to have that strength 00:19:07.319 --> 00:19:08.279 to persevere, 00:19:08.880 --> 00:19:10.740 to gain support 00:19:10.740 --> 00:19:12.559 if we feel isolated, 00:19:13.559 --> 00:19:15.220 and for the ability 00:19:15.220 --> 00:19:17.019 to witness together 00:19:17.019 --> 00:19:18.559 to the difference 00:19:18.559 --> 00:19:20.079 that Jesus makes 00:19:20.079 --> 00:19:20.740 in communities 00:19:20.740 --> 00:19:21.880 and in societies. 00:19:22.819 --> 00:19:22.980 You know, 00:19:23.039 --> 00:19:23.700 Jesus said, 00:19:24.180 --> 00:19:24.279 well, 00:19:24.299 --> 00:19:25.380 they'll know your disciples 00:19:25.380 --> 00:19:26.359 by the way that you 00:19:26.359 --> 00:19:27.579 love one another. 00:19:27.680 --> 00:19:29.980 So that necessarily requires 00:19:29.980 --> 00:19:31.720 a community of people 00:19:31.720 --> 00:19:33.440 who are meeting together 00:19:33.440 --> 00:19:35.880 so as to love one another. 00:19:38.380 --> 00:19:41.200 And so Saul recognizes this. 00:19:41.720 --> 00:19:43.339 He recognizes that gift 00:19:43.339 --> 00:19:44.799 that God gives us 00:19:44.799 --> 00:19:46.099 one another. 00:19:46.980 --> 00:19:48.019 And we see that 00:19:48.019 --> 00:19:49.640 all through his missionary life 00:19:49.640 --> 00:19:50.660 that he would connect 00:19:50.660 --> 00:19:51.799 with churches 00:19:51.799 --> 00:19:53.259 and he loved churches. 00:19:53.400 --> 00:19:54.559 You look at the end 00:19:54.559 --> 00:19:55.360 of all his letters, 00:19:55.440 --> 00:19:56.579 you see this huge list 00:19:56.579 --> 00:19:58.019 of people that he's thankful for, 00:19:58.120 --> 00:19:59.259 people that he's praying for. 00:19:59.259 --> 00:20:01.279 He understands the power 00:20:01.279 --> 00:20:04.259 of this new gospel community. 00:20:06.000 --> 00:20:07.099 And when we think 00:20:07.099 --> 00:20:08.019 about what we have, 00:20:08.079 --> 00:20:09.140 the freedom that we have, 00:20:09.180 --> 00:20:10.460 the privileges that we have, 00:20:10.900 --> 00:20:11.700 it encourages us, 00:20:11.819 --> 00:20:11.960 I think, 00:20:12.019 --> 00:20:13.700 to remember those 00:20:13.700 --> 00:20:15.359 that don't have this ability 00:20:15.359 --> 00:20:16.920 to gather together openly 00:20:16.920 --> 00:20:18.480 for worship, 00:20:18.859 --> 00:20:21.519 to remember the persecuted church, 00:20:21.980 --> 00:20:23.379 to remember those Christians 00:20:23.379 --> 00:20:25.099 who are so afraid 00:20:25.099 --> 00:20:25.859 for their lives 00:20:25.859 --> 00:20:27.660 that they are simply unable 00:20:27.660 --> 00:20:28.720 to share their faith 00:20:28.720 --> 00:20:30.360 with somebody else. 00:20:31.360 --> 00:20:32.460 So what we have 00:20:32.460 --> 00:20:34.019 is something special 00:20:34.019 --> 00:20:34.560 and it's something 00:20:34.560 --> 00:20:36.200 that we need to work hard 00:20:36.200 --> 00:20:37.540 to preserve. 00:20:39.519 --> 00:20:40.840 So as we sit together 00:20:40.840 --> 00:20:42.120 and share the Lord's Supper, 00:20:42.240 --> 00:20:42.759 for those of us 00:20:42.759 --> 00:20:43.320 who have faith 00:20:43.320 --> 00:20:44.100 in the Lord Jesus, 00:20:44.560 --> 00:20:45.340 it is for us 00:20:45.340 --> 00:20:46.800 a family meal 00:20:46.800 --> 00:20:48.420 where not only 00:20:48.420 --> 00:20:49.140 do we remember 00:20:49.140 --> 00:20:50.640 that Jesus comes 00:20:50.640 --> 00:20:51.740 to be with us, 00:20:51.800 --> 00:20:53.019 to feed us by faith, 00:20:53.100 --> 00:20:53.900 to encourage us, 00:20:53.960 --> 00:20:54.720 to give us strength, 00:20:54.720 --> 00:20:56.960 but we're also reminded 00:20:56.960 --> 00:20:58.140 that we're brothers and sisters 00:20:58.140 --> 00:20:59.880 in the same family. 00:21:00.620 --> 00:21:01.420 And we remember 00:21:01.420 --> 00:21:02.100 that it's Jesus 00:21:02.100 --> 00:21:03.140 that binds us together. 00:21:03.240 --> 00:21:04.620 It's this gospel message 00:21:04.620 --> 00:21:08.140 that strengthens us, 00:21:08.860 --> 00:21:10.339 that makes us a community. 00:21:12.100 --> 00:21:13.140 So what we see 00:21:13.140 --> 00:21:15.000 from the early days 00:21:15.000 --> 00:21:17.220 of Saul's Christian faith 00:21:17.220 --> 00:21:18.819 is that Christians, 00:21:18.940 --> 00:21:20.039 and therefore a church, 00:21:20.460 --> 00:21:22.799 lives with the gospel message 00:21:22.799 --> 00:21:24.099 as central, 00:21:24.539 --> 00:21:26.279 and with a gospel community 00:21:26.279 --> 00:21:27.339 around us 00:21:27.339 --> 00:21:30.619 for help and support. 00:21:31.319 --> 00:21:34.299 This is our identity. 00:21:35.240 --> 00:21:36.659 These are the fundamental 00:21:36.659 --> 00:21:38.319 building blocks 00:21:38.319 --> 00:21:39.460 for a faith 00:21:39.460 --> 00:21:40.399 that will persevere 00:21:40.399 --> 00:21:41.119 to the end. 00:21:41.879 --> 00:21:42.639 If we walk away 00:21:42.639 --> 00:21:43.940 from the gospel message, 00:21:44.240 --> 00:21:45.779 we won't persevere. 00:21:46.220 --> 00:21:47.379 If we walk away 00:21:47.379 --> 00:21:48.740 from a gospel church, 00:21:49.200 --> 00:21:50.639 we won't persevere. 00:21:50.640 --> 00:21:52.840 So these are realities 00:21:52.840 --> 00:21:55.180 that are gifts to us 00:21:55.180 --> 00:21:56.580 from the Lord Jesus 00:21:56.580 --> 00:21:58.200 that we need to value 00:21:58.200 --> 00:21:59.080 for ourselves 00:21:59.080 --> 00:22:01.259 and to commit to, 00:22:01.640 --> 00:22:03.120 and not just for our own sake, 00:22:03.220 --> 00:22:05.040 but also for the sake 00:22:05.040 --> 00:22:06.820 of one another.