What have you seen? What have you heard? Are you a witness?
You Will Be a
Witness for Him
(Acts
22:1-22, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, June 9, 2013)
[22:1] “Brothers
and fathers, hear the defense that I now make before you.” [2] And
when they heard that he was addressing them in the Hebrew language,
they became even more quiet.
How
did Paul get in this situation? As he stood at the top of the stairs,
rather than rush in away from a violent crowd, he begged to address
the crowd that had just been beating him up. He knew his calling from
God. Paul's passion was to fulfill his mission from Christ.
And
he said: [3] “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but
brought up in this city, educated at the feet of Gamaliel according
to the strict manner of the law of our fathers, being zealous for God
as all of you are this day. [4] I persecuted this Way to the
death, binding and delivering to prison both men and women, [5] as
the high priest and the whole council of elders can bear me witness.
From them I received letters to the brothers, and I journeyed toward
Damascus to take those also who were there and bring them in bonds to
Jerusalem to be punished.What
was Paul's passion prior to his “Damascus Road” experience? He
was once passionate about Pharisaic Judaism. That was his heritage.
Paul's status regarding locale was complex. He was a citizen of Rome
and a native of Tarsus in Cilicia, but he was raised in Jerusalem. He
became a follower of a Pharisaic teacher named Gamaliel who was
quoted earlier in Acts.
Paul
was passionate about the law and the customs of Judaism, and he
wanted to see all Jews follow those teachings. He believed that
Christianity, “this Way,” was more than flawed. It had to be
stopped. In his zeal against Jesus and the church he had the support
of the high priest and whole council of elders who also wanted to see
Jews who believed in Jesus punished. But something happened to Paul
when he was on the road to Damascus that changed his passion.
[6] “As
I was on my way and drew near to Damascus, about noon a great light
from heaven suddenly shone around me. [7] And I fell to the
ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you
persecuting me?’ [8] And I answered, ‘Who are you, Lord?’
And he said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are
persecuting.’ [9] Now those who were with me saw the light but
did not understand the voice of the one who was speaking to me.
[10] And I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ And the Lord said
to me, ‘Rise, and go into Damascus, and there you will be told all
that is appointed for you to do.’ [11] And since I could not
see because of the brightness of that light, I was led by the hand by
those who were with me, and came into Damascus.What
happened to Paul on the road? There was a great light from heaven
shining around him. That light was from a Being who questioned Paul.
He identified Himself as Jesus of Nazareth. Paul had been persecuting
Jewish followers of Jesus, but Jesus told Paul that such harassment
of His people was direct persecution of Him.
Those
who were with Paul had a change in their immediate duties. The man
they were serving was now blind. His companions led him by the hand.
In the twinkling of an eye, this proud Pharisee was brought so low
that he could not have walked into the city without someone helping
him along. Paul had met God, and now he would meet one of the Jewish
believers in Jesus, Ananias, whom he would have previously arrested.
This Ananias would serve him as a brother.
[12] “And
one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, well spoken of by all
the Jews who lived there, [13] came to me, and standing by me
said to me, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight.’ And at that very
hour I received my sight and saw him. [14] And he said, ‘The
God of our fathers appointed you to know his will, to see the
Righteous One and to hear a voice from his mouth; [15] for you
will be a witness for him to everyone of what you have seen and
heard. [16] And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and
wash away your sins, calling on his name.’What
happened to Paul in Damascus through the ministry of Ananias? Ananias
was a devout and good man according to the Jews in Damascus. He
served Paul by speaking words of healing to him from God. Through
this ministry, Paul was able to see again. Ananias also spoke a word
of clarity for Paul's soul. Paul would be a witness for Jesus. In the
beginning of Acts the remaining eleven disciples wondered who the
replacement for Judas would be. They did their best to follow the
Lord's directives and set apart a man to join them in their apostolic
ministry. Now God led Ananias to the apostle who we have followed for
many chapters through this book of Acts.
Paul
would know the will of God. He had seen the glorious Jesus. He had
heard a voice from the mouth of the Son of God. This would not be
only for his private reflection. He
was being sent as a witness for Jesus of what he had seen and heard.
Other apostles had heard and seen Jesus in prior years. Paul saw Him
as a glorious heavenly King who calls and redirects people.
[17] “When
I had returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, I fell
into a trance [18] and saw him saying to me, ‘Make haste and
get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your
testimony about me.’ [19] And I said, ‘Lord, they themselves
know that in one synagogue after another I imprisoned and beat those
who believed in you. [20] And when the blood of Stephen your
witness was being shed, I myself was standing by and approving and
watching over the garments of those who killed him.’ [21] And
he said to me, ‘Go, for I will send you far away to the
Gentiles.’”What was the
message that Paul received upon returning to the temple? When Paul
returned to Jerusalem, he saw Jesus saying to him that the Jews there
would not accept his testimony about the Lord. He had been one of
their own. He had shared their passion to rid the earth of men like
Stephen. But Jesus told him what He had earlier revealed to Ananias.
“He is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the
Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel.” (Acts 9:15) Now
Paul heard of His own calling with his own ears, “I will send you
far away to the Gentiles.”
[22] Up
to this word they listened to him. Then they raised their voices and
said, “Away with such a fellow from the earth! For he should not be
allowed to live.”
What
was the reaction of the crowd to Paul's account of Jesus sending him
far away to the Gentiles? This claim was more than the zealous crowd
could stand. They could not accept that the God of the Jews would
send one of their own off to the Gentiles. They did not merely oppose
Paul's testimony. They believed that he should not be allowed to
live.
What
does this passage teach us regarding religious contention? Though
Jesus has all authority in heaven and on earth and though he can
change a man like Paul and send him forth as His ambassador, this
does not mean that the mission will be without contention. In the
remaining passages in this book we will learn many lessons on that
topic. For now we can be content with this one point: Clarity of
calling makes a big difference in the face of violent religious
contention. Are you clear about your calling? Your life is not an
accident. God had a purpose in making you who you are and in calling
you to Himself. What have you seen and heard? Are you willing to live
as a witness of what you have seen and heard?
Old
Testament Passage: Deuteronomy 30:1-6 – Return to the Lord your God
Gospel
Passage: Mark 7:5-8 – This people honors me with their lips, but
their heart is far from me
Sermon
Point: Paul's appointed calling was to take the good news of a Jewish
Messiah to the non-Jewish world. What is our appointed calling?
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